Trump ordered a DOJ probe into Democrats on Saturday, accusing them of “extortion at the highest level” just days after his party lost control of both the House and the Senate in the midterm elections.
In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed Democrats are “going around threatening a lot of people,” including Attorney General Todd Blanche, with impeachment and “many other forms of punishment.” He argued Democrats have admitted they have no reason to do so and that no impeachable acts have been “committed, or even thought of.” He closed by writing that he was ordering the Department of Justice to look into “this criminal act, immediately!”
Impeachment is the process Congress uses to formally charge a federal official, including a cabinet member like the attorney general, with serious misconduct. The House votes on the charges, and the Senate holds a trial. Removing an official takes a two thirds vote in the Senate. With Democrats set to control both chambers when the new Congress is sworn in this January, the threat carries far more weight than it did a week ago.
Trump also claimed Democrats are threatening Republican donors, whom he called “some of the most respected people anywhere in the World,” with imprisonment “just because they happen to be Republicans, or Republican supporters.” He labeled it “Weaponization and Lawfare at another level.” Lawfare is a term for using lawsuits, investigations and the courts as a weapon against political opponents, an accusation Trump has aimed at Democrats for years over the cases brought against him.
He said “threatening letters” have been sent to “many people, all innocent,” from Democratic leaders. Trump did not say who sent the letters, who received them or what they said, and none have been made public.
Slotkin was the only Democrat Trump named in the post announcing the DOJ probe. He claimed the Michigan senator “is going to go after all young people that believe in Republican Values.” Trump appeared to be referring to remarks Slotkin made on Oct. 13 at the University of Chicago, where she talked about pursuing “signature cases” against people who “enabled” Trump. Her comments were about discouraging young people from going to work for the Trump administration.
“I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration? Like, that sounds fun, I might get an opportunity.’ I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that,'” Slotkin said.
Made to order and shipped to your door.
Trump went after Slotkin last November too. He accused her and five other Democratic lawmakers of “seditious behavior,” which he said was “punishable by death,” after they released a video telling members of the military and intelligence community they had an obligation to refuse illegal orders. Slotkin, a former CIA officer, received a bomb threat at her Michigan home days later.
Trump followed his DOJ probe order with a second post urging people to report the alleged threats to the Justice Department “IMMEDIATELY!” He also offered to collect them himself, telling people they could send the letters directly to him. “These SLEAZEBAGS should go to jail for what they are doing,” he wrote.
He then turned on his own party, demanding the Senate “stop being pushed around to the point of the Republican Party losing Elections, and worse!” He said the same went for the DOJ and the House of Representatives.
The DOJ probe order marks a sharp turn from Trump’s tone earlier in the week, when he spoke optimistically about working with Democratic leaders after the midterm results came in. Presidents have traditionally avoided publicly directing the Justice Department to investigate their political opponents.
