Blanche won't rule out prosecuting Democrats over oversight threats
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President Trump and Attorney General Todd Blanche at a White House roundtable last month. Photo: Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Attorney General Todd Blanche refused Sunday to rule out prosecuting Democratic lawmakers who say they'll investigate Trump officials, a day after President Trump ordered the Justice Department to probe lawmakers.
Why it matters: The confrontation threatens a constitutional crisis over the separation of powers: Trump is ordering prosecutors to go after lawmakers in a potential effort to hamper Congress' power to hold the executive branch accountable.
Driving the news: In a Truth Social post Saturday, Trump accused Democrats of threatening administration officials and Republican donors with investigations and impeachment.
- "This is extortion at the highest level, and they should be held accountable for this," Trump wrote.
- He singled out Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), accusing her of threatening young people who hold Republican views.
- "The imprisonment should be against these EXTORTIONISTS," Trump wrote.
- "By copy of this statement, I am ordering the Department of Justice to look into this criminal act, immediately!" he added.
The latest: On CNN's "State of the Union," Blanche acknowledged Congress' constitutional oversight authority but argued that Democrats' rhetoric had crossed a line.
- Asked whether DOJ would investigate Democratic lawmakers, Blanche did not identify a criminal statute or confirm that an investigation had begun.
- Asked whether lawmakers could face imprisonment, Blanche said it depended on what crimes they had committed.
- On Fox News, he said the possibility of criminal charges depended on what Democrats had said.
- The White House and Justice Department have not responded to requests for comment.
What they're saying: Blanche singled out incoming House Oversight Committee Chair Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who warned officials, including incoming White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, to "lawyer up."
- "I would be very worried if I was a member on that committee," Blanche told CNN.
- He also said the department would provide legal defense for administration officials facing congressional scrutiny, including incoming White House chief of staff Stephen Miller.
The other side: Garcia accused Blanche of trying to intimidate Congress and said Democrats would not back down.
- "They can come after us however they want. We're not going to be intimidated," Garcia told CNN.
- Garcia said his committee would pursue alleged wrongdoing involving Trump's administration, family and corporate allies.
Flashback: In February, a federal grand jury rejected DOJ's attempt to indict Slotkin and five other Democratic lawmakers over a video urging service members to refuse unlawful military orders.
What's next: It remains unclear whether DOJ has opened an investigation in response to Trump's order, which lawmakers it might examine or what conduct it believes could constitute a crime.
