The incoming Democratic majority in Congress is already plotting its first investigations.
asserted
majority → plot → investigations
Starting in 2025, Trump’s sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump branched out beyond hotels and golf courses to drone manufacturing, critical minerals and rockets.
asserted
sons → start → manufacturing
At least seven firms publicly associated with Trump’s sons have received contracts, loans or possible investments from the federal government or favorable regulatory decisions while their father has been in office, according to public press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission filings and public contracting records.
uncertain
father → associate → releases
Many of these business dealings have drawn bipartisan criticism over concerns that the Trump sons are wrongly profiting off the presidency.
asserted
sons → draw → presidency
Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, urged his colleagues to launch an investigation into Trump’s family.
asserted
Curtis → urge → family
He compared his concerns to accusations by the GOP about the business dealings of Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden.
asserted
He → compare → Biden
The New York Post’s editorial board said one of the Trump brothers’ business deals “stinks to high heaven.”
asserted
one → say → heaven
Democrats on both the House Oversight and Judiciary committees had already started to gather information on the Trump sons for potential investigations.
asserted
Democrats → start → investigations
When the party takes control of Congress in January, lawmakers will have subpoena power and the ability to compel witnesses to testify.
asserted
lawmakers → take → witnesses
In a letter announcing his candidacy to lead House Oversight, Rep. Robert Garcia of California said he “will use every tool available to investigate the Trump Crime Family.”
“The Trump Administration and the powerful interests that have exploited our government should know that a new era of truth and justice is coming,” Garcia wrote.
asserted
Garcia → announce → truth
In an interview with CNN, Garcia said that meant Trump’s sons.
asserted
that → say → sons
“They should be expected to answer questions,” he said when pressed whether he’d seek to call them in for a hearing.
asserted
he → expect → hearing
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who is expected to lead the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, outlined Trump family business dealings as a priority, and Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee told The Associated Press he wants to look into a mining deal connected to the Trump family.
asserted
he → expect → family
Trump and his sons say they have done nothing wrong.
asserted
they → say → nothing
The White House has been quietly preparing for Congress to begin launching investigations into the administration.
asserted
Congress → prepare → administration
Staff members have been hiring personal lawyers for a possible onslaught of subpoenas, according to an administration official and a person familiar with their effort.
uncertain
members → hire → effort
Trump has batted away criticism around his sons, though he said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he struggles to restrain their business dealings.
“
asserted
he → bat → dealings
It’s hard to say to them, ‘Don’t do anything anymore for four years because I’m president,” he said.
asserted
he → ’ → years
The president was asked in the interview whether he thought foreign investors might seek to buy influence through the company he co-owns with his sons.
uncertain
he → ask → sons
“I don’t know,” Trump replied.
asserted
Trump → know → ?
“Look, every president has a problem.
asserted
president → look → problem
You have people, and they work for you, and guys like you cover them and you do profiles on them, and they become like — everybody thinks that Trump loves them and everything else, which in some cases is true, and some cases are not.
asserted
cases → have → cases
A spokesperson for Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. rejected criticism of any potential conflicts of interest.
asserted
spokesperson → reject → interest
They have no role whatsoever in the awarding, oversight, or management of any government contracts and remain proud to invest in American companies and American technology,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
asserted
spokesperson → have → statement
Trump, in the weeks before the midterm elections, did address accusations of corruption, but not related to himself or his sons.
asserted
Trump → address → himself
He asked Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign after she sought $100,000 from a Trump donor, though she denied any criminal activity.
asserted
she → ask → activity
“I didn’t like what I read,” he said.
asserted
he → like → what
He complained about reports that his former lawyer and former acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba had allegedly been paid $50 million for helping with a presidential pardon, saying, “I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it’s not acceptable.
uncertain
it → complain → pardon
She has said she was never paid for a pardon.
asserted
she → say → pardon
After the news that the Justice Department was reviewing a Department of Homeland Security investigation into whether aide Corey Lewandowski sought to profit off his role at DHS, the president delivered a warning:
asserted
president → review → warning
“I want my people to be honest, and if they’re not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted,” he said.
asserted
he → want → ?
“If people are not honest, they’re stealing from me as president.”
asserted
they → steal → president
Lewandowski has denied the allegations.
asserted
Lewandowski → deny → allegations
The president’s anger came too late for voters.
asserted
anger → come → voters
The issue of government corruption was a significant factor in the election, with 90% of midterms voters in the NBC News Exit Poll saying it was a crucial or major factor in their votes for Congress.
asserted
it → say → Congress
Here’s a look at three areas where companies that have been publicly linked to the Trump sons have been the subject of questions from Democratic lawmakers.
asserted
that → ’ → lawmakers
Rare earth minerals and mine deals
Vulcan Elements, of Durham, North Carolina, manufactures rare earth magnets and publicly posted last summer that 1789 Capital, an investment firm where Donald Trump Jr. is a senior partner, was among the firms that invested a total of $65 million.
asserted
that → manufacture → million
It’s unclear how much money 1789 contributed.
uncertain
1789 → ’ → money
Less than six months later, in November 2025, Vulcan Elements announced a $620 million loan from the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital and $50 million in federal incentives from the Commerce Department’s CHIPS Program Office.
asserted
Elements → announce → Office
A Vulcan Elements spokesperson told NBC News the company “did not ask or solicit its investors to facilitate the Pentagon loan announced in November 2025,” and added: “1789 Capital is one of many investors represented in Vulcan’s broad investor base, which includes approximately 70 investing entities.
asserted
which → tell → entities
…and 62 more, not listed.
The Aporia
