Democrats Expand Investigations into Donald Trump Targeting His Family and Businesses

Democrats on Capitol Hill are significantly expanding their investigations into President Donald Trump, now openly targeting his family and businesses–in particular, the Trump Organization.

On Monday, House Democrats sent more than 80 separate document requests from the House Judiciary Committee to a wide-ranging slew of people affiliated with President Trump including most notably his two eldest sons Donald Trump, Jr., and Eric Trump, who currently run the operations of the Trump Organization while their father serves as President of the United States.

They also targeted Trump’s son-in-law and current White House official Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and several others in Trump’s orbit like his former personal secretary Rhona Graff, the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, and former top campaign and White House officials including Hope Hicks, Sean Spicer, and Stephen K. Bannon.

Bannon once served as the executive chairman of Breitbart News, but left in early 2018.

“House Democrats sent more than 80 letters Monday demanding documents from family members, business associates, political confidants and others with ties to President Trump, launching a sprawling probe into whether he and his administration have engaged in obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power,” the Washington Post wrote, describing the wide-ranging probing letters sent to all corners of the Trump universe. “The farthest-reaching request since Democrats took control of the House underscored lawmakers’ determination to hold Trump and those around him accountable for an array of controversies that have dogged the president during his first two years in office — and perhaps lay the grounds for impeachment.”

A full list of those receiving letters is as follows:

Recipients reportedly have two weeks to comply with the requests for a variety of documents and communications before they would be subpoenaed by the committee, which Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) chairs.

“We will act quickly to gather this information, assess the evidence, and follow the facts where they lead with full transparency with the American people,” Nadler, the Judiciary Committee Chairman, said in a statement announcing the wide-ranging probe into Trump’s universe according to the Washington Post. “This is a critical time for our nation, and we have a responsibility to investigate these matters and hold hearings for the public to have all the facts. That is exactly what we intend to do.”

Nadler over the weekend appeared on ABC’s This Week in which he told host George Stephanopoulos that he believes Trump has “obstructed justice.”

“It’s very clear that the president obstructed justice,” Nadler said. “It’s very clear. 1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a witch hunt. He tried to protect Flynn from being investigated by the FBI. He fired Comey in order to stop the Russia thing as he told NBC news. He has dangled pardons. He has intimidated witnesses in public.”

Nadler, who would lead impeachment proceedings of Trump if Democrats do decide to go that route which it appears they are heading there, earned a sharp rebuke from House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for those comments.

 “I think Congressman Nadler decided to impeach the president the day the president won the election,” McCarthy said on This Week on Sunday in response to Nadler.