White House counsel tries to intimidate new House Oversight chair over investigations
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
White House counsel William Scharf sent a three-page letter to Rep. Robert Garcia, the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee, warning that proposed investigations of the Trump administration could cross constitutional limits. Garcia says voters gave Democrats a mandate to demand accountability and plans to press ahead.
White House counsel William Scharf mailed a three-page letter to Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Cal., the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee, on Wednesday. The letter lectured Garcia on what the administration describes as constitutional limits on congressional investigations and claimed the new Congress appears determined to push beyond those limits, framing oversight as a threat rather than a core democratic duty.
Scharf’s correspondence accused Democrats of making threats against President Donald Trump and members of his administration. The letter was obtained by PBS News.
Garcia, who said voters gave Democrats a mandate to pursue accountability, responded to the letter by restating his intent to investigate the administration. He previously told PBS NewsHour that the public is worried about rising costs and the perceived financial gains of the Trump family.