White House counsel Will Scharf warned congressional Democrats they are making “abusive and capricious threats” against the Trump administration that could trigger investigations.
After winning control of the House and Senate, Democrats promised to generously issue subpoenas to administration officials. Scharf wrote to incoming House Oversight chair Robert Garcia, D-Calif., warning that Democrats could face action from the administration for issuing illegal subpoenas.
“The Administration will not be extorted and will not be cowed by unlawful process motivated by animus, pettiness, hatred, or any other unlawful motive to intimidate, penalize, or interfere with the lawful functioning of government,” Scharf wrote.
He said the White House is “monitoring the abusive and capricious threats that are now proliferating from Democrat legislators who seek to abuse the legislative process to intimidate and to interfere with the lawful functioning of government.” Scharf cited several recent threats from Democrats.
“We’re going to be passing out subpoenas like candy,” Rep.-elect Emily Randall, D-Wash., said.
“We’re going to toss out subpoenas like Mardi Gras beads,” Rep.-elect Analilia Mejia, D-N.J., said.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said Democrats would need to “plant new forests” to print all the subpoenas they planned to issue.
“You and your congressional colleagues have asserted that they will issue subpoenas to harass, threaten, and deter dedicated members of the Administration from further service,” Scharf wrote to Garcia.
“The Trump Administration expects members of Congress to discharge their investigative functions within settled constitutional limits,” he noted, saying that members only have compulsory power for oversight functions.
“Abusive threats and public statements about the indiscriminate issuance of subpoenas, along with threats directed at prospective targets within the Administration make it abundantly clear that any forthcoming investigative processes will be deployed to harass and aggrandize, rather than to advance any legitimate legislative end,” he wrote.
He said the threats are aimed to deter officials from public service, adding that if Democrats issue “unlawful subpoenas with the intention of depriving citizens of their constitutional rights,” it could trigger investigations.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
