White House counsel Will Scharf promised to respond in a “vigorous” way to Democrats’ threats of increased oversight against the Trump administration in their new congressional majorities.
Scharf wrote to Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the incoming chairman of the House oversight committee, last week, warning the California congressman, who told the Trump administration to “lawyer up” on election night, against intimidating members of the administration through investigations. He spoke on Fox News Sunday about the letter and his message to House Democrats.
“Congressman Garcia, other Democrat members of Congress, are intent on threatening and intimidating members of this administration from the president on down to the most junior staffer,” Scharf said. “If that’s the approach that they’re going to take, they’re going to be met with a vigorous response from my office and from the Department of Justice every single time.”
Scharf ridiculed a quote from Garcia, in which the congressman said “pettiness” could be a factor in Democrats holding the Trump administration accountable.
“Maybe it’s because I’m gay, but pettiness is a thing,” Garcia said Saturday. “We’re not going to forget these crimes.”
Scharf criticized Garcia’s rhetoric on Sunday.
“The only shocking thing is some of the terrible statements that Congressman Garcia has been making for weeks now. He said that his desire to investigate this administration was born out of his own pettiness. Pettiness is not a valid purpose to conduct oversight under our Constitution and under our laws,” Scharf said.
WHITE HOUSE WARNS HOUSE DEMOCRATS NOT TO HARASS STAFF WITH OVERSIGHT INVESTIGATIONS
Garcia took the letter this week from Scharf as a “threat,” telling MSNow that President Donald Trump and the White House’s rhetoric around Democratic oversight should be taken seriously, but that it will not change their posture.
“We are going to continue to aggressively investigate these serious allegations of crime between the Trump crime family, corporate America. What’s happening with DHS and ICE. The Jeffrey Epstein investigation. I mean, the list goes on and on. And Donald Trump is clearly hiding something,” Garcia said on the network in response to the letter.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
