Trump accuses Democrats of threatening Republicans ahead of anticipated investigations in Congress

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Democrats are “illegally threatening Republicans,” at a time when his administration is escalating its threats against Democrats who have pledged to open investigations into the president and his administration when they take control of Congress.

Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform: “In an attempt to distract attention from massive corruption and crimes in states controlled by Democrats, they are once again making illegal threats to Republicans, based on accusations and allegations that they know are false. This was their way of winning the midterm elections - along with cheating - but we will not allow our country to slide into hell!”

These statements come after the White House legal advisor sent a letter, on Wednesday, to Robert Garcia, the prominent Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee, in which he warned him that the administration would not submit to “blackmail,” indicating that potential parliamentary investigations might “exceed the bounds” and reach the level of a “criminal act.”

In a statement to CNN on Wednesday evening, Garcia said that Trump's lawyers "do not understand the Constitution," stressing the importance of having a system of check and balance on executive power.

Garcia added: “The attempts of the president, the attorney general, and the White House legal team to intimidate us will not work.”

Trump also compared Democrats' efforts to investigate his administration with their "relentless efforts" to obtain his personal tax returns.

Trump said: “After a year of intense work, these accountants - working under the direction of the Democrats - found nothing but that I paid my taxes and did everything right.”