House Democrats sent more than 80 letters today demanding documents from family members, business associates, political confidants and others with connections to President Trump, opening a sprawling investigation of whether he and his administration have engaged in obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power.
The most far-reaching request since Democrats took control of the House underscored lawmakers’ determination to hold Trump and those around him accountable for controversies that have dogged the president during his first two years in office — and perhaps lay the grounds for impeachment proceedings.
“We will act quickly to gather this information, assess the evidence, and follow the facts where they lead with full transparency with the American people,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. “This is a critical time for our nation, and we have a responsibility to investigate these matters and hold hearings for the public to have all the facts. That is exactly what we intend to do.”
The inquiries touched on everything from the president’s business dealings with Russia to multiple controversies regarding the firing of former FBI director James Comey and hush payments made to women.
Many of those very issues are already being looked at by special counsel Robert Mueller and prosecutors in the Southern District of New York — not to mention other committees in the House.
House Democrats also appear to be grappling with a question of whether to focus their energy on Trump’s actions as president, or probe alleged past misdeeds before he ran for office, too.
Judiciary Committee staff argue there is a constitutional question about whether the party can hold the president accountable for any illicit or morally questionable activities Trump may have committed before he became president.
While extremely broad, Nadler’s inquiry focuses on abuse of power, public corruption and obstruction of justice since Trump became president, though some of the inquiries also deal with the campaign and the presidential transition.
At an event at the White House later Monday with the North Dakota State championship football team, Trump was asked if he plans to cooperate.
“I cooperate all the time with everybody,” he said, adding: “You know the beautiful thing — no collusion. It’s all a hoax.”
Those receiving letters from the House Judiciary Committee include the president’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump; his son-in-law, Jared Kushner; his former personal secretary Rhona Graff; Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization; and former top White House aides Hope Hicks, Sean Spicer and Steve Bannon.
Other demands for documents are directed to institutions including the White House, the Justice Department, the Trump campaign, the Trump transition team and the Trump Organization.