US Democrats prepare in advance a list of investigations in case of victory in the midterm elections

Plans in case of victory

Although the US midterm elections will only take place on November 3, Democrats are already preparing a program of action in case they win a majority in at least one chamber of Congress. According to BBC News, citing participants in the discussions, staff of the caucus have begun compiling a list of possible investigations and witnesses: control of the House of Representatives or the Senate would give the party the power to issue subpoenas to witnesses and additional funding to launch investigations as early as the beginning of next year. The possibility of probes into senior figures of the Trump administration — and possibly the president himself — is being considered.

The Trump family's finances and the Pentagon

The first priority is said to be lucrative deals involving the Trump family's business empire. Suhas Subramanyam, a member of the House Oversight Committee, told the BBC that the goal is to make sure that 'taxpayer money is being spent wisely and is not being stolen.' The list includes the administration's ties to cryptocurrency firms, the international business of the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, a $400 million aircraft gifted by Qatar to serve as Air Force One, and defense contracts awarded to firms linked to the Trump family. The White House rejects the accusations: spokesperson Olivia Wailes said Democrats 'have no agenda to improve Americans' lives, only plans to obstruct.'

Hegseth, ICE and the impeachment question

The second major block is the actions of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the war with Iran that began in February: the number of civilian casualties, shortages of ammunition, spending and troop preparations; in April, a group of House Democrats already brought articles of impeachment against Hegseth. Also cited as a possible topic are strikes on boats in the Caribbean, which the administration calls a fight against drug trafficking. Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer, told the BBC that the war was not authorized by Congress, which under the constitution declares war. The Pentagon, for its part, calls Hegseth 'a transformational leader.' A separate priority is examining claims of misconduct by ICE agents during raids, but, in Painter's assessment, Democrats will have to balance between criticizing ICE tactics and not wanting to appear indifferent to migration issues. On the question of a third impeachment of Trump, the party is split: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supports it, while others believe the Senate would not vote to remove him. There is no guarantee of substantive results from the investigations, but Subramanyam argues that inaction 'will look bad not just for the next two years, but for the next 20.'

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images