Extract from The Guardian
The win gives the party power to investigate the administration, including the authority to demand Trump’s tax returns
The Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives
gives the party new legal firepower to investigate the Trump
administration, including the authority to demand the president’s tax
returns and financial records. Once Democrats formally seize control of
the House in January, the new chairmen and women of key congressional
committees are expected to begin issuing subpoenas and launch
investigations, and demanding that Trump administration officials
testify publicly and under oath on multiple topics.
Some of those demands are likely to face legal challenges from
Trump’s team of lawyers, who will argue that certain private information
is protected by executive privilege.But Tuesday’s election results nevertheless puts the White House under intense new scrutiny, in addition to the ongoing criminal investigation that is already underway by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. What will Democrats pursue first?
Trump’s tax returns and banking records
Trump’s personal enrichment and alleged corruption
Hours after it became clear that he was the next likely chairman of the House oversight committee, veteran congressman Elijah Cummings declared his intent to investigate Trump for allegedly enriching himself by having foreign leaders stay at the Trump Organization’s hotel in Washington. It is illegal under the US constitution’s emoluments clause for a president to accept payments from foreign leaders.Russia investigation and obstruction of justice
For two years, questions in Congress about the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with the Kremlin to win the 2016 election has been controlled by Republicans. Now, Adam Schiff, the next chairman of the House intelligence committee, has vowed to make the issue his top priority, including a close examination of whether Russia has financial leverage over the president through its investments in Trump’s business empire. Schiff will likely have the support and cooperation of former intelligence and national security experts. He could also seek more information about whether Trump sought to obstruct the FBI’s investigation into the president’s dealings with Moscow when he fired FBI director James Comey.Brett Kavanaugh
The confirmation of the new supreme court nominee was one of the most controversial episodes in the first two years of Trump’s presidency and one that is still surrounded by unanswered questions. Jerry Nadler, the incoming chairman of the House judiciary committee, has promised he would take another look at whether Brett Kavanaugh perjured himself during his confirmation hearings when he was asked about allegations of sexual assault. Other members of Congress have also raised questions about why two men initially came forward and suggested they had perpetrated an alleged assault against one of Kavanaugh’s accusers. Congressman Elijah Cummings, who will head the oversight committee, has suggested the apparently false confessions could have been part of a Republican effort to shield Kavanaugh. The FBI’s handling of its background check – called a “sham” by Democrats – will also likely face scrutiny.Other investigations
Other possible lines of inquiry include: why former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, were given security clearances upon entering the White House even though their access to classified information troubled some national security experts; how the Trump campaign spent millions of dollars in donations to its presidential inauguration; and whether the president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, improperly received corporate donations from AT&T and others in exchange for favours from the Trump administration.
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