Dems’ prez probes to ‘hit the ground flying’
WASHINGTON — Democrats will assume control of the House in just over a month, but they are already laying out a game plan that includes a flurry of investigations into President Trump, his administration and his campaign.
And, they say, the probes will begin on day one.
“We’ve got to get it done. We don’t have to hit the ground as Democrats running, we have to hit the ground flying,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” yesterday.
While Cummings stressed that the Democrats’ agenda has to include policies aimed at stemming skyrocketing prescription costs, addressing voting rights, dealing with the opioid epidemic and other policies, Democrats will also prioritize the investigations into Trump.
There are already dozens of probes Democratic lawmakers have sought to launch, but they have been stalled by the GOP-controlled Congress. Come Jan. 3, most of those probes will have green lights.
“Let’s be abundantly clear,” Cummings said. “The American people said to us through this election, ‘We want accountability. We want a check on this president of the United States.’”
Rep. Adam Schiff, (D-Calif.), who will helm the House Intelligence Committee in January, said his subpoena power will quickly focus on Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker and whether he was installed to try to stifle or slow the Russian interference investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
“We are going to bring Whitaker before the Congress, assuming he’s still in his position at the time when Democrats take over,” Schiff said yesterday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
A host of incoming committee leaders have indicated that a core part of House investigations will be focused on Trump’s finances – and whether his policy positions have been motivated by his financial ties. Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield, who will lead the House Ways and Means Committee, has said he will seek Trump’s tax returns.
Schiff said that Trump’s business engagements are a key question in his expected probe of the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence officials say was done at the direction of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Schiff said the Intelligence Committee must investigate to ensure “we have a foreign policy driven that is by American interests, not by some interest of the president.”