Here's a fun thing about Washington: when one party wins an election, the other party's first instinct is often to start issuing subpoenas. And when that happens, the first question everyone asks is who's going to pay for the lawyers.
On Friday, Todd Blanche, a senior Justice Department official, fired back after Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, warned President Donald Trump and his allies to prepare for congressional scrutiny following Democrats' sweeping midterm victories.
Garcia's Message: 'Lawyer Up'
Garcia released a video Friday vowing to investigate alleged corruption involving the Trump administration. "Oversight Democrats are ready to take on the crooks, the con men, and the Trump crime family. Lawyer up," Garcia wrote on X.
In the video, Garcia said Americans were fed up with what he described as an unprecedented level of corruption under Trump.
He pledged investigations into the Trump family's business dealings, cryptocurrency ventures, Pentagon contracts and alleged abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"Oversight Democrats are absolutely going to ensure that we investigate every single one of these instances," he said.
Blanche's Response: Miller Has a Lawyer
Responding to Garcia's warning, Blanche pointed to the Democrat's apparent targeting of Stephen Miller, who was recently promoted to White House chief of staff.
"You have Garcia saying — minutes after Stephen Miller was promoted to be the Chief of Staff to the President of the U.S. — telling him to 'lawyer up,'" Blanche said on Fox News.
"Well, I tell you what, Stephen Miller has a lawyer. It's me and the entire Department of Justice," he added.
Subpoena Power Arrives in January
Democrats' midterm victories handed them control of the House, giving them access to the Oversight Committee's subpoena powers when the new Congress convenes in January 2027.
Garcia formally launched his bid for the committee's chairmanship Thursday and is widely expected to secure the position, CNBC reported. The White House has dismissed Democrats' planned investigations as politically motivated.
Earlier this week, Trump blamed Democrats for a market selloff that wiped out roughly $3 trillion in S&P 500 market value and sent the Nasdaq 100 to its steepest single-day decline since the 2020 pandemic.
Trump has also previously said that he would become "Mr. Veto" if Republicans lost their House majority.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.
