Amna Nawaz:
With Democrats set to take control of the House, they’re making plans to use their majority not only to advance legislation, but also ramp up congressional oversight.
Our White House correspondent, Liz Landers, has more.
Liz Landers:
California Congressman Robert Garcia, who is expected to become the new chairman of the House Oversight Committee, says Democrats have plans to move quickly with a series of investigations when the new Congress takes office in January. These could include reviews into the Jeffrey Epstein files, the Trump family financial dealings, and immigration enforcement.
Congressman Garcia joins us now.
Congressman, welcome back to the program.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA):
Sure. Happy to be here.
Liz Landers:
On election night, you posted this two-word statement on X: “Lawyer up.”
Do you think the election results have given Democrats a mandate to investigate the Trump administration?
Rep. Robert Garcia:
I think they have, and especially because, right now, when you think about the key issue, which is affordability, in large part, the reason why people can’t afford to pay the gas, the groceries, they’re struggling with the rent or the mortgage is because the Trump family continues to enrich themselves, steal people’s wealth, and enrich their billionaire friends and donors.
They continue to support companies and CEOs that are ripping off the American public. And so we have to, of course, focus on affordability, but there also has to be accountability and there has to be justice. There has to be justice for families that are being picked up by ICE agents and that are removing due process from the system.
There has to be justice for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. So there’s a lot of work to do, but I think there’s definitely a mandate to ensure we have accountability and affordability.
Liz Landers:
You have said that you have been preparing for these investigations for months and you’re not starting from scratch here. What is the first thing you expect to investigate and how quickly will those subpoenas go out?
Rep. Robert Garcia:
Look, the first issue for us is going to be around the Trump family and the clear corruption. This is the most corrupt administration in the history of the United States.
When you have the president making billions from these crypto schemes, you have Jared Kushner getting $2 billion from the Saudis for his investment firm just after leaving the White House. Don Jr., his entire wedding being paid for by a Russian oligarch, him sitting on boards of companies that get contracts from the Pentagon, I mean, this is really serious stuff.
And the American public are looking at their own bills and seeing costs go up when they go to the supermarket, yet they’re seeing the Trumps get richer. And so that’s a real contrast, and that’s a real issue for us to take on. People want solutions. They want accountability.
Liz Landers:
When it comes to the Epstein files, what more is there to learn and what documents have not been released?
Rep. Robert Garcia:
Look, I think, first, we want to center our work on justice for the survivors. Half of the Epstein documents, of the files have not been released to the public, even though Trump — even though we know that Trump has tried to create confusion, calling this a hoax, and Todd Blanche saying they’re going to release documents, and then they don’t.
So we still have half of the files have not been released. We need more information from the Epstein estate. We need — the co-conspirators that were involved with Jeffrey Epstein, there needs to be real accountability for them. If you abused, trafficked, raped women and children, and you’re walking around with no sort of justice, that has to end.
There has not been a single, not one public hearing on the Epstein investigation in the Congress. And that’s going to end when we take over the Oversight Committee.
Liz Landers:
Are you going to investigate Elon Musk and his role in DOGE?
Rep. Robert Garcia:
I think Elon Musk and his companies is something that are of interest to committees across the Congress. And so I think especially you’re going to hear a lot from Armed Services and others around how these contracts happen.
And certainly for us in Oversight, issues around DOGE are really important. Like, were people’s data stolen? Where is their data? Who had access to it? All these federal workers that were fired and let go. I mean, what’s happening to our federal work force and our agencies because of the loss of talent is really serious.
And so absolutely we have questions for Mr. Musk, but we also have questions for those that were engaged in that work. There was a group of data folks running around taking people’s data. Where is that information? So those are serious questions that deserve answers.
Liz Landers:
Leader Jeffries has said that Democrats are focused on affordability and accountability. Do you think that impeaching President Trump again would be a mistake?
Rep. Robert Garcia:
Look, I don’t think that that’s an agenda item for House Democrats as we’re coming in.
Let’s be really clear. Donald Trump’s been impeached twice. He commits probably an impeachable offense every week. The Senate has not convicted him. And so there’s not enough votes in the Senate to impeach him now. And so what I think is important is that we focus on what we can do, which is stopping and slowing the Trump agenda.
And that’s going to be our focus.
Liz Landers:
What about impeaching Cabinet members like the defense secretary, Hegseth?
Rep. Robert Garcia:
Look, I think we will see if Hegseth lasts over the next couple of weeks. I think there’s an enormous pressure from not just Democrats, but the broader American public and some Republicans, for Pete Hegseth to either be fired or step down.
I mean, he’s been a horrific secretary of defense. What’s happening in Iran is shameful. And so he has done nothing but make us less safe. And I think it’s important that we stand up against him. And he should resign. And if he doesn’t resign, I do think that there will be efforts to impeach the secretary here in the weeks and months ahead.
Liz Landers:
As the chairman of the Oversight Committee, you would have subpoena power, but are you worried that the attorney general, Todd Blanche, could potentially ignore these subpoenas and the Justice Department could ignore them, especially if they involve executive privilege?
Rep. Robert Garcia:
Well, look, if he has any sense of the Constitution and of the civil servants that are all across the DOJ, he should legally respond.
Now, I — we know what the track record is for him and the trend and the Trump family and the president. And so I think we have got to be very much prepared for stonewalling, for him trying to ignore the rule of law, which is also why we have got to use our power of contempt, not just criminal contempt, but civil contempt, seriously.
I mean, as a House majority, we have the power to go to the courts. We have the power to use the courts when the DOJ may not want to respond. And so there’s a lot that we can do also by working with states and states’ attorneys general to hold folks accountable.
We also know that folks that are in — that have been working with the Trumps, whether it’s large corporations or others, they will have to answer our questions. And so we’re going to get to the truth regardless if the DOJ tries a stonewall for the president.
Liz Landers:
Congressman Garcia, thank you for joining us.
Rep. Robert Garcia:
Thank you.
Source: www.pbs.org
