WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday directed the Justice Department to investigate Democrats, accusing political opponents of threatening people with impeachment and other punishment after their midterm election victories.
In a social media post, Trump described the alleged conduct as criminal but did not publicly provide evidence identifying specific unlawful threats. The president did not identify particular Democrats as targets or describe what statute he believed had been violated.
“The threats being made by the Democrat Party against innocent Republican Donors and Party Members are absolutely unprecedented, and totally illegal” said Trump. “Please report them to the Department of Justice, IMMEDIATELY! If you would like, send them directly to me, your President. “These SLEAZEBAGS should go to jail for what they are doing.”
The directive comes four days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, giving them the ability to conduct investigations and initiate impeachment proceedings when the new Congress convenes in January. Congressional oversight and impeachment are powers provided under the Constitution; whether any particular conduct could constitute a crime would depend on evidence and applicable law.
