(AFP) – US President Donald Trump vowed a political comeback Sunday after his Republican Party lost control of both houses of Congress in midterm elections that amounted to an unequivocal repudiation of his turbulent presidency. The devastating result leaves Trump politically hamstrung as he enters the remaining two-year ‘lame duck’ period of his White House tenure, while opening the door to multiple investigations by the Democrat-controlled Congress of the president, his family, and senior members of his administration.
“America took a giant step back in History with the results of the last Election,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that the stock market that had grown during his tenure took a loss after the vote. “But have no fear, we will be back, BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!” While the resounding election loss last Tuesday has prompted soul-searching among Republican lawmakers, Trump has sounded defiant. On Friday, he appointed hardline advisor Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff, signaling a bare-knuckle fightback.
Democrats, meanwhile, have pledged to hold the Trump administration to account and fight against Miller, architect of Trump’s tough immigration policy. Amid Democrat threats for administration officials to “lawyer up,” Trump said Saturday he was ordering the Justice Department to examine Democratic threats to impeach members of his administration, likening it to “extortion.”
– ‘They can come after us’ –
That stance stoked a war of words between top Republicans and Democrats on US political shows Sunday. Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal lawyer for Trump and now head of the Justice Department, vowed to actively defend Trump and senior members of his administration. “You have members of Congress who, after Tuesday, have done nothing but threaten everything that’s happening in this administration,” Blanche told CNN, citing impeachment threats against Miller after his appointment. “If they try to come after Stephen Miller…instead of actually just conducting oversight and leading, of course the Department of Justice will be there to defend him.”
Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, took aim at Blanche, saying one role of Congress under the US constitution is to hold the executive branch to account. “All he wants to do is protect Donald Trump, is protect Donald Trump’s cabinet and administration officials. That is not his job,” Garcia told CNN, vowing to stop corruption and investigate “those that are committing crimes against the American public.” “They can come after us however they want. We’re not going to be intimidated,” added Garcia.
With control of committees in both chambers, Democrats can summon officials, demand documents, and hold public hearings, putting Trump and his senior aides under intense scrutiny. Likely subjects include the Trump family’s business and cryptocurrency dealings, government contracts involving billionaire Elon Musk, cuts to federal agencies, immigration enforcement, and the conduct of the Iran war. During his first presidency, Trump himself was impeached by the House of Representatives twice, but on both occasions, he was acquitted by the Senate.
– Matthew PENNINGTON
© 2024 AFP
