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President Donald Trump is threatening Democratic lawmakers who plan to launch investigations into his administration with prosecutions and jail time.
Just days after Democrats won the midterm elections in a landslide, Trump ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to probe liberal lawmakers he accused of threatening officials in his administration.
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he → sign → administration
‘The imprisonment should be against these EXTORTIONISTS,’ he posted on social media on Saturday, referencing Democratic lawmakers without offering any evidence of a crime, but claiming one existed.
'Threatening letters have been sent to many people, all innocent, from Democrat Political Leaders.
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all → post → Leaders
By copy of this statement, I am ordering the Department of Justice to look into this criminal act, immediately!
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I → order → act
Privately, the mood within the White House is defiant, and officials within the West Wing are practically daring Democrats to come after them, so they can return fire.
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they → dare → fire
'If crazed Democrats want to abuse their power and politicize their process of investigations, subpoenas, and destroying lives, they should be reminded that we still control the federal government and all of its powers,' a White House official told the Daily Mail.
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official → want → Mail
But publicly, the administration is offering an olive branch across the aisle, even if it may only be lip service.
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it → offer → aisle
'As the President has said, he's willing to work with anyone to continue delivering victories for hardworking Americans,' said White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis.
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Bis → say → Americans
'If Democrats choose to pursue sham investigations and radical left policies, they are choosing to work against the American people.
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they → choose → people
President Donald Trump is preparing a no-holds-barred revenge campaign against Democrats who plan to target him and his administration once they take power in Congress next year
Incoming Democratic House Oversight boss, Robert Garcia, intends to conduct oversight of the president and his family's business dealings, his immigration and deportation policies and continuing probes into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal
Specifically, Garcia and Democrats are keen on probing how Don Jr financed his wedding celebrations earlier this year after reports indicated a Russian billionaire linked to Vladimir Putin partly financed the wedding party shown above
The administration's threats escalated this week when the president's White House counsel, Will Scharf, sent a letter to the soon-to-be Democratic chairman of the House Oversight Committee, a panel that wields enormous investigative powers.
His three-page letter warned incoming Democratic chairman Robert Garcia that any probe he begins must serve a legitimate investigative purpose rather than be used to punish political opponents.
'Threats to executive branch officials designed to deter them from public service, or process designed merely to abuse or instill fear in the recipient may cross the line into blatant criminality,' Scharf wrote.
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Scharf → prepare → criminality
The attorney also suggested that unlawful subpoenas approved by Democrats could warrant a federal investigation, specifically noting Garcia's post-election message that Trump officials 'lawyer up.
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officials → suggest → message
'
Pressed on whether he would pursue lawmakers over the weekend, Attorney General Todd Blanche answered: 'depends on what's said' by the Democrats.
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what → press → Democrats
Behind Trump's threats is a broader plan to sideline Congress for the remainder of his term, during which he is expected to test the bounds of presidential authority to protect his administration officials and preserve his political agenda.
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he → sideline → agenda
Newly appointed White House chief of staff Stephen Miller and Trump's budget chief Russ Vought have reportedly been drafting executive actions meant to propel the administration's policies forward without input from lawmakers.
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Miller → appoint → lawmakers
Executive orders enable the president to issue policy from the executive branch that guides the federal departments and agencies without input from Congress.
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that → enable → Congress
Democrats are also eager to probe the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner for his central role in negotiating deals with foreign leaders on behalf of Trump while also operating a multi-billion-dollar private equity firm that has taken in loads of cash from foreign entities
Trump and his family pose for a picture at the White House UFC 250 event over the summer.
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Trump → probe → summer
A Democratic congressional official told the Daily Mail that Trump's deals with companies, such as the White House partnership with the UFC, will be scrutinized
World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm backed by Don Jr and Eric Trump, drove major profits for the presidential family last year
The DOJ has already drafted legal opinions ready to defend the executive branch.
They include new tariffs, immigration restrictions and tighter White House control over federal spending, Axios reported.
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Axios → tell → spending
Trump and his officials appear poised for a preemptive retribution campaign against Democrats eyeing ways to meddle with the president's objectives.
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Trump → appear → objectives
Trump's former political adviser and close ally put it even more bluntly in an interview with Axios: 'Many Democrat lawmakers are going to find themselves under indictment and fighting conviction.
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lawmakers → put → conviction
Tuning out the noise, Democrats and Garcia have said they will push ahead with oversight of the administration.
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they → tune → administration
At the top of their list: investigating alleged Trump family corruption, probing the president's immigration and deportation policies and pushing for further transparency on Jeffrey Epstein's abuses and connections to eminent officials.
For example, Garcia and Democrats are keen on probing how Don Jr financed his wedding celebrations earlier this year after reports indicated a Russian billionaire linked to Vladimir Putin partly financed the wedding party shown above
'What we’re focused on is making sure that corruption is held accountable, and that we are getting to the bottom of the Epstein investigation and holding DHS and ICE accountable for their abuses,' a Democratic congressional official told the Daily Mail.
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official → investigate → Mail
And making sure that the Trump crime family doesn’t keep, you know, continuing to just get away with what they have been doing.'
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they → make → what
The Aporia
