President Donald Trump ordered the US Justice Department on Saturday to investigate Democrats for threatening people with impeachment and other punishment, calling their actions a "criminal act" without providing evidence, according to Dawn. The order, days after Democrats won control of Congress, was made in a social media post, which Al Jazeera described as a Truth Social post.
Democratic candidates won control of Congress from Trump’s Republicans in midterm elections held on Tuesday, with control starting in January, according to Dawn. Trump’s post for the Justice Department referred to Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Al Jazeera reported.
Slotkin had suggested at the University of Chicago that Congress should investigate people who have enabled Trump’s policies, Al Jazeera reported. Al Jazeera also reported that Trump gave no evidence of her threatening people over their views.
The remarks are disputed. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah said Slotkin was threatening young people who wanted to enter politics, according to Dawn. Slotkin responded that Lee had lied about her comments, and she called the criticism "manufactured outrage," according to Dawn and the Straits Times.
On Saturday, Slotkin said on social media that if people break the law or use taxpayer dollars to enrich themselves, they should be held accountable, according to Dawn.
The order follows an earlier Justice Department attempt that failed. According to the Straits Times, a grand jury rejected an attempt to indict Slotkin and other Democratic lawmakers with national security backgrounds over a video urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey illegal orders.
Trump has called for investigations into political enemies in his second term, including former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, Al Jazeera reported. Members of Congress have also released letters seeking documents on matters such as tech company donations for the large ballroom Trump is building at the White House.
Incoming Democratic leaders have promised hearings and investigations into Trump administration actions. Al Jazeera reported that probes into the Trump family’s finances, ICE, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Todd Blanche are planned.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to Dawn and the Straits Times, so it is unclear whether an investigation will be opened. No source provided evidence for Trump’s claim of criminal threats, and no specific cases supporting his claim that Democrats threatened his cabinet and donors were reported. The sources also differ on when Slotkin made her remarks, with Dawn saying last month and the Straits Times saying October. Only full-text articles were available, and no independent second source confirms the Justice Department order itself.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.