Trump Orders Justice Department to Look Into Democrats
President Donald Trump has ordered the US Justice Department to investigate Democrats. In a social media post on Saturday, he said Democrats were “threatening a lot of people” with impeachment and other forms of punishment. He called their actions a “criminal act” but did not provide evidence.
Democrats Win Control of Congress
Democratic candidates defeated Trump’s Republicans in the midterm elections on Tuesday. This gives Democrats control of Congress starting in January. Party leaders have promised to hold hearings and investigate actions by the Trump administration.
Trump Accuses Democrats of Sending Threatening Letters
In his post, Trump accused Democrats of sending “threatening letters to many people, all innocent”. Members of Congress have released copies of letters asking for documents on matters such as tech company donations for the large ballroom Trump is building at the White House.
Comments About Senator Elissa Slotkin
Trump’s post also mentioned Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. Last month, she spoke at the University of Chicago and said Congress should investigate people who enabled Trump’s policies.
“I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration?’… I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want. And so I might avoid participating in that,’” Slotkin said. “I want that deterrence message sent.”
Republican Reaction and Past Investigation
Some Republicans criticised Slotkin’s comments. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah wrote on social media that Slotkin was threatening young people who wanted to go into politics. Slotkin replied that Lee had lied about her comments and wrote, “Spare us the manufactured outrage”.
Trump’s Justice Department has investigated Slotkin before. She is a former CIA analyst. She was among a group of Democratic lawmakers with national security backgrounds investigated after they posted a video urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey illegal orders from the administration. A grand jury rejected the attempt to indict them.
Slotkin Responds to Trump’s Order
Slotkin said in a social media post on Saturday that the issue should not be controversial. She said:
“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,” she said.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Source: dawn