White House Counsel Warned Robert Garcia That Democratic Probes Could Be 'Blatant Criminality'

The White House is firing a warning shot at Democrats who plan to investigate the Trump administration when the new Congress convenes next year, asserting those plans could cross into "blatant criminality," NPR senior political correspondent Tamara Keith reported.

The warning came in a letter from White House counsel Will Scharf to Rep. Robert Garcia, the California Democrat expected to lead the House Oversight Committee next year. NPR's later write-through said the letter was dated Monday and made public Wednesday. Scharf wrote that the administration is monitoring "abusive and capricious threats" made by Democrats. Keith read the last line: "The administration will not be extorted and will not be cowed by unlawful process motivated by animus, pettiness, hatred or any other unlawful motive to intimidate, penalize or interfere with the lawful functioning of government."

Garcia's response was blunt. "We're not going to be deterred, and we're certainly not going to be intimidated by Donald Trump or anyone in the administration," he told NPR's Morning Edition on Thursday. He said Congress has wide latitude to conduct investigations and oversight, and that Democrats will not be deterred by threats from the Justice Department or the president's lawyers.

What Garcia says he wants to investigate

Garcia told NPR that investigating alleged corruption involving Trump's family would be a top priority, citing a $2 billion Saudi investment in a firm led by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. He also called for investigations into former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski over reported possible pay-to-play schemes. "Our job is to investigate, to take issues to the courts, to make criminal referrals, and to write good legislation so that this kind of corruption doesn't happen again," he said. Those are Garcia's allegations, not findings.

He added that Democrats would continue pursuing the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of overseeing civilian killings at sea, misappropriating funds and launching illegal wars. "I expect that the issue around impeachment hasn't ended," Garcia said.

The wider backdrop

Keith placed the letter in a broader pattern. Over the weekend, she said, President Trump complained on social media about what he called threats from Democratic lawmakers directed at Republicans, members of his administration and donors, writing that "these sleazebags should go to jail for what they are doing." Attorney General Todd Blanche, on CNN over the weekend, did not rule out his own investigations or prosecutions, Keith reported.

Keith also noted that last year the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee investigated former President Biden's use of an autopen, evidence that Congress has taken a broad view of its oversight role. Ty Cobb, a White House lawyer in the first Trump term, told Keith the administration is "putting up speed bumps in front of the steamroller that they can see coming" and will try to prolong battles and refuse to provide information. Cobb said Congress has significant protections under the Speech and Debate Clause, and that in his view there are plenty of things to investigate and legislate. Whether the warning buys time by forcing Democrats into court to enforce subpoenas is the fight the next Congress is about to have.