Democrats in the US House of Representatives are preparing a broad strategy for investigations into companies, financial institutions and other structures linked to President Donald Trump if they regain control of the lower house of Congress after the November midterm elections. According to four sources, immediate impeachment is not their main plan.
Instead, leading Democrats and aides to key committees are discussing the use of hearings, subpoenas and document requests to gather information about the administration's decisions and possible cases in which presidential powers may have been used to benefit Trump, his allies or donors.
The approach is also the result of experience during Trump's first term. The House of Representatives then voted twice to impeach him, but the Senate acquitted him in both cases. Some Democrats now believe that a new attempt at impeachment at the beginning of their possible majority could become a political risk and shift the focus away from the investigations themselves.
If Democrats win the House, they will be able to issue subpoenas, request documents and testimony, organize public hearings and initiate procedures for refusal to cooperate. Republicans currently have a fragile majority, and according to Reuters, sociological surveys give the Democrats an advantage in the fight for control of the House in November.
Among the companies whose names have been discussed in the context of future inspections are Apple, Alphabet, Palantir, Blackstone, BlackRock, as well as Elon Musk's companies, including Tesla. The reason is their contracts with the federal government, regulatory relationships or other interactions with the administration. Reuters emphasizes that there is no final list and no formal investigations have been launched against these companies at this time.
Democrats are also considering further inspections of contracts with the Department of Homeland Security, financing for the planned White House ballroom, corporate donations and possible "favor-for-favor" schemes. They are also looking at financial structures linked to the Trump family, including 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, as well as investments by foreign sovereign funds.
Preparations have already begun. Democrats are sending letters to companies and organizations with requests for information, which can be ignored for now, since the party is in the minority. However, if control of the House changes, the same documents could be requested through formal subpoenas.
Among the companies already targeted are Paramount Skydance, YouTube and Alphabet, as well as private prison operator GEO Group, security company Salus Worldwide Solutions and commodities traders Vitol and Trafigura. Some of them have been sought in connection with contracts with the administration or transactions that Democrats want to examine in more detail.
The White House rejected the political framework of the prepared investigations and said that the administration is ready to respond to requests for oversight regardless of which party controls Congress.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has already said that impeachment of Trump is not out of the question, but it is not the first priority. According to Reuters sources, it would become a real option only if the investigations gather evidence of actions that Democrats believe meet the constitutional threshold for impeachment.