WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he has ordered the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into Democratic lawmakers, accusing them of committing a “criminal act” by threatening his administration officials with impeachment and other penalties.
The directive, posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform, comes four days after Democrats won majorities in both the House and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections. With control of both chambers set to shift in January, Democratic leaders have pledged to open investigations into Trump administration policies, Cabinet officials, and the Trump family’s financial dealings, news outlets reported.
“The Democrats are going around threatening a lot of people, including the Attorney General of the United States, and others, with Impeachment and many other forms of punishment, even though they admit they have no reason to do so,” Trump wrote, calling the actions “extortion at the highest level.”
Trump offered no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The Department of Justice and the White House did not immediately provide comments on the announcement, according to reports from CNBC and Reuters.
Midterm victory sparks oversight warnings
Once the new Congress convenes in January, Democratic committee leaders will wield broad subpoena authority, enabling them to compel testimony, obtain government documents, and hold public hearings. Following Tuesday’s election results, Democratic Representative Robert Garcia of California, who is poised to lead the House Oversight Committee, posted “LAWYER UP” on social media, Al Jazeera English reported.
Democratic lawmakers have already discussed pursuing impeachment proceedings against top officials. Representative Hank Johnson of Georgia told SiriusXM’s “The Dan Abrams Show” on Thursday that Attorney General Todd Blanche should be impeached and removed from office, while North Carolina Representative Deborah Ross told the same program that while she supported impeaching Blanche, lawmakers “should start with Hegseth,” referring to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Fox News reported.
Trump also accused Democrats of sending “threatening letters” to political contributors and alleged they were threatening donors with imprisonment. Reuters reported this week that congressional Democrats have sought records concerning tech company donations tied to a ballroom construction project at the White House.
Trump singles out Michigan senator
In his social media remarks, Trump singled out one lawmaker by name: Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan. Trump claimed she planned to target young people holding conservative viewpoints, according to CNBC.
The accusation appeared to reference remarks Slotkin delivered on Oct. 13 at the University of Chicago. During that appearance, Slotkin said she wanted to pursue “signature cases” against figures who aided controversial administration actions to deter future recruits.
“I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration?’” Slotkin said during the October event. “I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want. And so let me avoid participating in that.’ I want that deterrence message sent.”
Slotkin responded to Trump’s comments on social media Saturday, writing, “If you break the law or use taxpayer dollars to enrich yourself, you should be held accountable. If you didn’t break the law, then it’s all good.”
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, previously faced a Justice Department inquiry alongside other Democratic lawmakers after releasing a video in late 2025 that urged military members to reject unlawful orders. A federal grand jury declined to bring indictments in that matter earlier this year, according to CNBC.
It remains unclear whether the Justice Department will formally initiate a criminal inquiry based on Trump’s social media directive, or how federal prosecutors would define congressional oversight activity as extortion.
