Democrats Aim Subpoenas at Trump Power Network

Democrats who won control of both chambers of Congress plan to use subpoena power to investigate President Trump, members of his family and administration officials. They’ll examine allegations that public office helped enrich individuals or shield them from legal scrutiny. Incoming House committee leaders have named Jared Kushner, Corey Lewandowski and Attorney General Todd Blanche as targets. One expected focus is the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial.

The shift gives Democratic committee leaders new tools inside Congress, but those tools don’t put them beyond the reach of the federal government: if a witness defies a subpoena, the House can hold that person in contempt, while the Department of Justice decides whether to prosecute. That’s how oversight works—and where its limits lie.

Who Gets Called Before Congress

Other possible inquiries include Trump’s sales of a Trump-branded memecoin; Don Jr.’s relationship with a Russian oligarch who paid for part of his wedding last year; and property deals involving the Trump Organization. The New York Times reported those potential avenues. Committee leaders have also singled out what they called “crony” corporate leaders and associates of Jeffrey Epstein, whom the source described as a deceased pedophile.

On Nov. 4, 2026, the account Oversight Dems listed “The Trump Crime Family,” “Crony corporations ripping off the American people,” “Corrupt Trump admin officials profiting off the presidency,” associates of Jeffrey Epstein and @CLewandowski_ among its targets. Its post ended with a blunt instruction: “Like incoming Chairman @RepRobertGarcia said: Lawyer up.”

Weeks before the election, Kushner issued a lengthy “fact check” denying he had ever “taken a diplomatic action” as an envoy to benefit his private equity firm, Affinity Partners, himself or “any investor.” Democratic committee leaders also suggested investigating Elon Musk, described as the former chair of the Department of Government Efficiency, over his dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development last year.

Congress Has Power—and Limits

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) will lead the House Oversight Committee, while current Republican chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) will become its ranking member. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is set to chair the House Judiciary Committee; current Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is running for House minority leader.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the administration “will finally be faced with real oversight.” He told The Post: “We will investigate the administration weaponizing DHS against Americans, its out-of-control immigration policies, and its blatantly corrupt self-dealing.” It wasn’t clear whether Thompson would pursue Lewandowski through the committee. The Department of Justice was already investigating Noem’s deputy over alleged abuse of the contract process to benefit himself. Lewandowski has denied wrongdoing.

Democrats had also identified Blanche as a focus over a nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund reached with the IRS following Trump’s 2024 suit involving the leak of his tax filings. Blanche reversed course after bipartisan backlash against what was called a “slush fund.”

Brian Nieves, a former senior Justice Department official who advises clients on congressional investigations at the law firm Holtzman Vogel, said Congress’s authority has limits. “Congressional power is not unlimited,” Nieves told The Post. “They can’t investigate just for the sake of investigating.” He said former President Biden’s DOJ “kind of sat on our letters, too,” and added: “There’s precedent for DOJ not taking action, especially on investigations that a lot of people deemed pure political theater.”

The Political Stage

Raskin called the investigations urgent. “The political and financial corruption driving the Trump presidency is a civic emergency,” he said in a statement. “Congress has a responsibility to confront all this corruption directly—to expose it and take all steps necessary to crush it as quickly as possible.” He said hearings with former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem came “shortly after” their firings in April and March, respectively. “Our efforts in this Congress will continue and expand next Congress,” Raskin said, adding that the team of investigators and experienced counsel would grow significantly in the Majority.

The new majority’s path runs through hearings, subpoenas and investigations conducted by institutions that already hold power. The source describes no grassroots or community-organized response. Senate Majority Leader-in-waiting Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urged colleagues to address the cost of living first. “Should we investigate? Yes,” Schumer said Wednesday on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe.” “Trump is the most corrupt president we have ever had by a lot. ... So we have to pay some attention to that. But number one, get those costs down.”

Trump said he wasn’t concerned the investigations could lead to a third impeachment. “I think it would destroy the Democrat Party if they did that — impeachment for no reason. What, for having a successful country?” he told reporters Wednesday. White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said Trump was “willing to work with anyone to continue delivering victories for hardworking Americans,” then called possible inquiries “sham investigations.” A White House official speaking on background warned that Democrats “should be reminded that we still control the federal government and all of its powers.”