Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told a Washington crowd that he and other Democrats plan to keep targeting former Trump administration officials, and said part of his motivation is personal.
Speaking at the Crooked Con event in Washington, DC, where Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) also appeared, Garcia named Kimberly Guilfoyle, Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi as examples of officials he says should still face scrutiny even though they’ve left government.
“Just because you’re Kimberly Guilfoyle, or you’re Kristi Noem, or you’re Pam Bondi, and you’re no longer in office that doesn’t mean that we’re still not interested in accountability for all of your crimes and grift. We’re not going to forget. Like, we can’t forget about these folks that are causing harm, like, you know, I think it’s like, maybe it’s because I’m gay, but like, you know, like pettiness is a thing,” Garcia said.
The audience cheered and applauded the remark.
Garcia continued, framing the effort as a generational obligation.
“Like, I am mad, you know… this is a moment in history where all the young people, in our families, in our classrooms, they have to know that what’s happening now is wrong. To just move on does a disservice to the future of our country,” he said.
Garcia did not specify what crimes he believes the named officials committed. His remarks came two days after Democrats took control of the U.S. House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Before the election results were final, Garcia had already raised the prospect of subpoenas for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Trump administration officials, and once the outcome became clear he told Republican leaders to “lawyer up.”
Trump Responds
President Donald Trump addressed the threats in a social media post Saturday.
“The Democrats are going around threatening a lot of people, including the Attorney General of the United States, and others, with Impeachment and many other forms of punishment, even though they admit they have no reason to do so, and there have been no impeachable acts committed, or even thought of, by the victims of this illegal process,” Trump wrote.
He went further, calling the effort “extortion at the highest level.”
“This is extortion at the highest level, and they should be held accountable for this. Also, they’re threatening our Donors, some of the most respected people anywhere in the World, with imprisonment, and many other levels of punishment, just because they happen to be Republicans, or Republican supporters. This is Weaponization and Lawfare at another level,” Trump stated.
Trump also singled out Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
“The Senator from Michigan, Elissa Slotkin, is saying that she is going to go after all young people that believe in Republican Values, and that give even the slightest inclination to be a Republican. The imprisonment should be against these EXTORTIONISTS, and Republicans should get smart, fast! Threatening letters have been sent to many people, all innocent, from Democrat Political Leaders. By copy of this statement, I am ordering the Department of Justice to look into this criminal act, immediately!” Trump concluded.
