Anticipating taking control of at least the House, with a shot at the Senate, Democrats are already laying the groundwork for a flood of investigations into White House corruption under President Donald Trump.
And they are making it known which targets are at the top of their list, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Politico reported.
Democrats "can’t repeal Trump’s tariffs" while he’s in the White House, Politico reported, but they plan to haul in top administration officials, and possibly corporate executives, to explain how he chose his targets in the trade war and why others got a pass. Democratic lawmakers and aides on the House Ways and Means, House Foreign Affairs and Senate Finance committees are focusing on suspected quid pro quos that may have benefited wealthy interests and foreign governments.
“We’re going to legislate, but we will investigate, as well,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), who sits on Ways and Means. “There’s some low-hanging fruit when it comes to the appropriate investigations that need to be done in this administration’s pay-to-play scheme that is so prevalent.”
Two cases are among those drawing scrutiny. The first is Trump’s decision to lower tariffs on Switzerland after a visit from Swiss business leaders who gave him a Rolex clock and a gold bar. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, has said the tariff rate was raised to 39% and later lowered to 15% days after the gifts, which he said included a gold bar worth more than $130,000. The Swiss delegation insisted "it cleared the presents" with the White House ethics counsel, Politico reported.
The second is a move to ease export restrictions on the United Arab Emirates, months after an Emirati royal invested in a Trump-linked cryptocurrency company.
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), who is in line to chair the Foreign Affairs subcommittee that oversees export controls, said she wants to examine policy changes allowing more advanced U.S. chips to flow to China and the UAE.
“It is as much about specific companies as it is about how the [Commerce Department] is being run and how these deals are being allowed that are still giving China access to our most advanced chips,” she said, adding that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was “implicated” in some of those deals.
The countries and companies that have drawn scrutiny from Democrats have denied wrongdoing, Politico reported, arguing that Trump’s trade shifts are driven by sound policy and mutual economic benefit. The Embassy of Switzerland said it "continues to engage with members of Congress from both parties."
Democrats are betting that an anti-corruption message will resonate with voters worried about the cost of living, Politico reported. Following through on that message, the outlet said, is poised to create “an uncomfortable few years” for the president and his top economic officials, as well as for corporate executives and foreign leaders who have sought to shape his trade decisions “through favor and flattery.”