A newly-empowered House Democratic committee chairman vowed on Wednesday to probe efforts by President Donald Trump for using his post to pursue what he called his own ‘financial self-interest.’
But the president immediately signaled his own determination to resist a coming wave of investigations – and tried to intimidate the new opposition by brandishing his own threat of probes.
‘If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level,’ The president wrote Wednesday morning.
‘Two can play that game!’ he added.
Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland issued the warning shot at Trump and his administration Wednesday hours after Democrats sealed their takeover.
‘For the past two years, it has been virtually nonexistent,’ said new Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings
Cummings has hounded the Trump administration on issues ranging from cabinet scandals for jet use to Trump’s ownership of a luxury D.C. hotel, but with little ability to force disclosure without cooperation from Republicans.
Now, blasting oversight he called ‘nonexistent’, he is vowing to go ahead and probe Trump’s decisions to act in his own ‘self-interest.’
‘For the past two years, it has been virtually nonexistent,’ Cummings said of routine government oversight in a statement Wednesday morning.
‘Meanwhile, President Trump has been eroding the foundations of our democracy. He has been degrading the vision of our Founding Fathers—from attacking the right to vote to undermining the freedom of the press,’ he wrote.
‘Yesterday, the American people voted to change that. They voted for transparency and accountability. They voted to make sure our government works effectively and efficiently for the American people. And they voted to bring integrity back to government.
‘Two can play that game!’ the president responded, issuing his own threats to probe Democratic senators for what he said were leaks of classified information
‘As part of that mandate, I plan to shine a light on waste, fraud, and abuse in the Trump Administration,’ Cummings said.
Cummings’ threat follows signals from Democrats that they will demand that the Treasury hand over Trump’s tax returns, something the president has avoided for two years. The House tax-writing panel has the authority to require the administration to turn over tax information.
Panels now controlled by Democrats could probe an array of cabinet secretaries, review Trump’s foreign policy in North Korea and Iran, demand Homeland Security hand over more documents about child separation, and try to keep a parade of top officials testifying on the Hill or handing over administration documents.
Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway pushed back when asked about the looming probes on CNN and the appetite for getting Trump’s tax returns.
‘Respectfully, is this really what we’re talking about today?’ she said, batting back a question. ‘After we had historic gains in the Senate and some governorships?’
‘If they want to bring Washington to a grinding halt, then they don’t understand President Trump,’ she said.
Trump also brushed off the threat last week when asked about certain efforts to pry loose his tax returns. ‘They can do whatever they want, and I can do whatever I want,’ he said.
Cummings was able to issue the defiant warning after Democrats managed to seize more than 30 seats, gaining control of the House by earning more than the 23 seats need. The majority party maintains near-total control over setting the agenda, has subpoena power, and decides what individuals, and which officials, to investigate.
That is why a GOP-led Congress held multiple investigations of Benghazi, but failed to conduct deep oversight of officials such as former EPA chief Scott Pruitt, who was subject of a raft of internal and outside investigations when he finally resigned.
The move comes after a series of signals that Democrats will work to secure Trump’s tax returns, something the president has been resisting for years.
President Trump proclaimed victory on Wednesday morning after a whirlwind tour of rallies held in key Senate battleground states appeared to swing voters in favor of the Republicans. But now he must contend with powerful House committee chairmen
Nancy Pelosi, who could return as Democrat House Speaker after last night’s result, proclaimed victory and said the party would work to impose Constitutional checks and balances on Donald Trump
‘I want to probe senior Administration officials across the government who have abused their positions of power and wasted taxpayer money, as well as President Trump’s decisions to act in his own financial self-interest rather than the best interests of the American people,’ he said.
Then he threw in some more standard-fare for a newly empowered majority. ‘I also want to focus on uplifting the American people and improving their day-to-day lives, from lowering prescription drug prices to ensuring access to affordable and quality healthcare to expanding funding for the opioid epidemic.’
‘We must now accept this mandate and fulfill our solemn duties under the Constitution. I call on all of my Republican and Democratic colleagues to join us in this effort,’ Cummings wrote.