Democrats in the United States Congress are preparing to investigate the business dealings of President Donald Trump and his family after securing control of both chambers in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The investigations are expected to target the Trump family’s business interests, major Republican donors, government contractors and corporations, as Democrats make allegations of corruption a central issue ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
Democrats seized control of the Senate and House of Representatives in an election that saw millions of voters deliver a rebuke to Trump.
Party members wasted little time signalling their plans to use their new congressional powers to scrutinise the administration.
“LAWYER UP,” US Representative Robert Garcia, who is expected to become chairman of the House Oversight Committee, posted on X late on Tuesday.
“Subpoenas,” Senator Ron Wyden, who is expected to lead the Senate Finance Committee, wrote an hour later.
“Clear your schedule,” US Representative Delia Ramirez said in a post addressed to several Trump administration officials.
On Wednesday, Democratic committee leaders began outlining their oversight agenda, which includes investigations into the Trump administration and major corporations.
Wyden said he intends to scrutinise agreements between the administration and pharmaceutical companies over drug pricing.
The White House has rejected the prospect of the investigations, denying any wrongdoing by the administration.
“If Democrats choose to pursue sham investigations and radical left policies, they are choosing to work against the American people,” White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said.
Another White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also warned Democrats against the planned probes.
“They should be reminded that we still control the federal government and all of its powers,” the official said.
According to Reuters interviews with about a dozen lawyers, lawmakers, congressional aides and political consultants, technology executive and Republican mega-donor Elon Musk, Trump’s sons and several other Republican donors and contractors could face scrutiny.
Representatives for Musk and Eric Trump did not respond to requests for comment, while a representative for Donald Trump Jr. declined to comment.
Democrats have opted to pursue investigations rather than immediately seek Trump’s impeachment, Reuters previously reported.
“We expect a huge volume of aggressive and expansive investigations that will target both the administration and the private sector,” said lawyer Rachel Cotton, a congressional oversight specialist at Arnold & Porter.
Analysts say Democrats will have to balance their efforts to expose what they describe as corruption under Trump with voters’ concerns about the rising cost of consumer goods and petrol.
The outcome of the investigations could also have significant implications for the 2028 presidential election and the race to succeed Trump.
“The Democrats will be less concerned with Trump and more about tying the corruption to the whole administration and ultimately to the entire” Republican Party, said Sarah Longwell, a former Republican strategist and longtime Trump critic.
She added that the investigations could also undermine the political prospects of officials serving in the Trump administration.
Longwell said Democrats could benefit from examining how Republicans handled information surrounding the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Even if it’s more political theater than anything else, any time we’re talking about Epstein, Trump’s popularity is suffering,” she said.
However, Republican consultant Ron Bonjean warned that Democrats could undermine their political prospects if the investigations overshadow their legislative agenda.
“Voters are more concerned about affordability,” Bonjean said. “If the vengeance that Democrats are seeking overwhelms their legislative agenda then they’re likely to have a very short legislative majority.”
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted nationwide from Thursday last week through Monday found that 48 per cent of registered voters identified the cost of living as the most important issue determining their vote.
However, voters have also expressed concerns about Trump’s personal financial interests and his family’s cryptocurrency and real estate deals.
In an August Reuters/Ipsos poll, 69 percent of Americans said they believed Trump’s private business interests were influencing his presidential decisions.
Lawyers and congressional aides say Democrats will have to avoid lengthy legal battles with the White House and maintain unity within their congressional coalition if they want the investigations to succeed.
“There will be a lot of pressure on Democrats to issue subpoenas early. But the juice has to be worth the squeeze for whatever they decide to litigate,” said Kimberly Hamm, a lawyer with Morrison Foerster.
Hamm said the House, which is expected to move faster than the Senate, should keep its requests focused and limit potential objections from the White House.
Corporations are also considered potential targets because they cannot automatically claim the same executive privilege protections available to the White House, although the administration could intervene and assert such protections, lawyers said.
Democrats’ Senate victory also gives them more room to pursue investigations, according to lawyer Mike Fragoso of Torridon Law.
Winning control of both chambers, however, does not guarantee that every proposed investigation will proceed.
“But there’s only so much time in the day and time in a Congress,” Fragoso said. “The question is how willing and able they will be to pick their targets and focus on them.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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