Democrats will probe Donald Trump’s treatment of CNN, Amazon and The Washington Post

The Democrats plan to investigate Donald Trump for an alleged abuse of authority 
for taking adverse action against retail giant Amazon and two of his left-leaning media rivals.

California representative Adam Schiff said he will employ committee subpoena powers to conduct a triple-threaded inquiry into Trump’s possible use of the ‘instruments of state power to punish the press’.

Schiff will take over as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee when the Democrats officially take control of the House in January. 

The president signed an executive order earlier this year mandating a review of what he called the ‘unsustainable financial path’ of the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Adam Schiff  will employ committee subpoena powers to conduct a triple-threaded inquiry into Trump's possible use of the 'instruments of state power to punish the press'.

Donald Trump (left) will be investigated by Adam Schiff (right) into Trump’s possible use of the ‘instruments of state power to punish the press’

He has reportedly met with Postmaster General Megan Brennan several times to push for hikes to the shipping rates paid by companies like Amazon.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos separately owns The Washington Post. Trump has repeatedly attacked the political coverage at the Post, which is critical of the White House administration.

In an interview with Axios on HBO, Shiff claimed Trump was secretly meeting with the postmaster [general] in an effort to ‘browbeat her into raising postal rates on Amazon’, whose founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, separately owns The Washington Post.

‘This appears to be an effort by the president to use the instruments of state power to punish Jeff Bezos and The Washington Post,’ Schiff said in the interview.

Schiff said Congress also needs to examine whether Trump attempted to block AT&T’s merger with Time Warner as payback to CNN.

‘We don’t know, for example, whether the effort to hold up the merger of the parent of CNN was a concern over antitrust or whether this was an effort merely to punish CNN,’ Schiff said. 

Donald Trump was criticized this week for clashing with CNN correspondent Jim Acosta 

Donald Trump was criticized this week for clashing with CNN correspondent Jim Acosta 

CNN may be gearing up for a legal battle over the Trump administration's revocation of chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta's permanent press credentials

CNN may be gearing up for a legal battle over the Trump administration’s revocation of chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s permanent press credentials

‘It is very squarely within our responsibility to find out,’ Schiff said.

Along with incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Representative Elijah Cummings, and other top Democrats, Schiff will have a mandate to serve a slew of subpoenas on the Trump administration.

Trump, who has branded media outlets as ‘the enemy of the people’ and ‘fake news’, this week revoked the press credentials of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta and berating another CNN correspondent for asking ‘stupid’ questions.

Nancy Pelosi warned that Democrats will be 'very strategic' in wielding the use their subpoena power

Nancy Pelosi warned that Democrats will be ‘very strategic’ in wielding the use their subpoena power

Trump has also feuded specifically with Amazon throughout the year, saying it is taking advantage of taxpayer-subsidized shipping rates.

In March, he argued in a series of tweets that the online retailer’s ‘scam’ shipping deal with the US Postal Service is costing the agency ‘billions of dollars’. 

The Democrats had claimed that before last week’s midterm election, they would aggressively investigate the Trump administration if they took power in Congress.

Nancy Pelosi has warned that Democrats will be ‘very strategic’ in wielding the use their subpoena power now they have control of the House.

Some Republicans fear the Democrats will issue countless subpoenas to try and make President Trump’s life more difficult.

The House speaker told Face The Nation Sunday: ‘We are not scattershot. We are not doing any investigation for a political purpose, but to seek the truth. 

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos separately owns The Washington Post which Trump has repeatedly criticized over the publication's political coverage

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos separately owns The Washington Post which Trump has repeatedly criticized over the publication’s political coverage

‘So I think a word that you could describe about how Democrats will go forward in this regard is we will be very strategic.’

Some Democrats have suggested looking into Trump’s taxes, his businesses and the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was replaced by Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker.

Meanwhile Pelosi, who believes she will be re-elected as House Speaker, also took a shot at Trump for railing against the voter recount in the Arizona senate race, and the Florida congressional and gubernatorial races.

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