The 2024 election is shaping up to be a battleground not just for the White House, but also for congressional investigations. If former President Donald Trump wins, several House Democrats have already signaled their intention to scrutinize his business dealings and potential conflicts of interest. This comes as Republicans, who currently control the House, have spent the last two years investigating President Joe Biden and his family, creating a partisan divide over oversight and accountability.
Key figures like Reps. Richard Neal and Jamie Raskin, the top Democrats on the House Ways and Means and Oversight Committees respectively, haven’t ruled out probing Trump’s affairs if he returns to power. Neal, who led the investigation into Trump’s tax returns in the last Congress, suggested that the Supreme Court’s recent decision expanding presidential immunity could influence his decision. Meanwhile, Raskin, while expressing a preference for looking to the future, emphasized that the Democrats would fulfill their oversight responsibilities.
Rank-and-file Democrats, such as Reps. Eric Swalwell and Dan Goldman, have also voiced their support for investigating Trump’s family and business dealings, specifically targeting Jared Kushner’s investment firm and its $2 billion commitment from a Saudi Arabian fund. Swalwell suggested the need for “closure” on the Kushner-Saudi deal, while Goldman stressed the importance of congressional oversight, particularly in a second Trump term.
Trump’s campaign spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, dismissed these threats as fueled by a “Trump Derangement Syndrome” that has gripped the Democratic Party. She highlighted that Trump has already endured multiple investigations and impeachments, which she claims were politically motivated and lacked merit.
Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee, led by Rep. James Comer, has been deeply focused on investigating the Biden family, accusing the president of committing impeachable offenses. Comer, however, denied that his intense scrutiny of Biden was a justification for Democratic investigations into Trump, insisting that their inquiries are politically motivated.
This partisan divide highlights the increasingly polarized political landscape, where investigations are often used as political weapons. The upcoming election promises to intensify this battle, with the winner likely to wield significant power in shaping the direction of congressional investigations in the years to come.
