USA: Democrats announce investigations and proceedings against Trump's entourage

US President Donald Trump and his confidants have to prepare for increasing resistance from the House of Representatives after the Republicans' crushing defeat in the midterm elections. The gains for the Democrats put the party in a position to impose parliamentary procedures on Trump and those around him.

Representative Robert Garcia, who is expected to take over the chairmanship of the important oversight committee of the House of Representatives in January, promised to question the president's son Donald Trump Jr. and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. “Absolutely,” Garcia said on CNN when asked whether there would be investigations against the two.

According to Garcia, Trump Jr. received "hundreds of thousands" of dollars as a wedding gift from a Russian oligarch. It became known through media reports that the Russian entrepreneur had paid for celebrations on the sidelines of the president's son's wedding in the Bahamas. President Trump said afterward that Don Jr. paid the money back.

According to Garcia, the role of tech billionaire Elon Musk in the firing of federal employees by the so-called Authority for Government Efficiency last year will also be examined.

There are also signs of a push for impeachment proceedings against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The plan is supported by Hakeem Jeffries, the current Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives. He is expected to become chairman of the Chamber of Congress in January. Jeffries said on ABC that he would give a “clear yes”.

The “so-called defense minister” abused his powers and undermined national security. “Pete Hegseth has to go,” Jeffries summed up. In some cases, Republicans critical of Trump are also likely to side with the Democrats. Republican MP Thomas Massie wants to once again submit a motion to impeach Hegseth.

Even with a majority in the House of Representatives, such impeachment proceedings are likely to fizzle out in the Senate. A two-thirds majority would be necessary there, which the Democrats are still around ten votes away from despite gains. Counting is still ongoing for two Senate seats.

Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders told CNN that he was open to impeachment proceedings against Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been criticized primarily as a vaccine skeptic. Sanders described Kennedy as “the most dangerous health secretary” the US has ever had. The country is currently struggling with a high number of measles infections.

And the future chairwoman of the Senate Banking Committee, Elizabeth Warren, warned unnamed companies. Anyone who made their profits by defrauding US families and investors should prepare for serious investigations, Warren told CBS.

The US government appeared ready to fight. Trump accused Democrats of trying to intimidate Republicans and their donors by threatening investigations. He instructed Attorney General Todd Blanche to investigate Democratic politicians because of this.

Blanche called Democrats' threats against government officials and allies unacceptable. "If the new leadership wants to do that, we are ready," said Trump's former personal lawyer. Anyone who works in the government has a lawyer, and that's him.

Hakeem Jeffries is set to hold the third highest office in the US as Speaker of the House of Representatives. You can read more about Trump's most powerful opponent in the new Congress here.