“THE DEMOCRATS ARE CORRUPT AND EVIL, and I am the exact opposite,” President Trump wrote in a series of social media posts, launching a wave of criminal accusations against his political opponents as his administration faces upcoming congressional oversight, Los Angeles Times reported.
The president’s statements followed warnings from White House Counsel Will Scharf to Democratic lawmakers that they could face criminal prosecution if they pursue sweeping investigations into Trump and his family. The Los Angeles Times reported that the targeted Democrats include Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach, who is the likely next chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The Justice Department also issued warnings to state and local election officials across California regarding the handling of ballots from individuals the administration claims are noncitizens, alongside criminal subpoenas demanding officials appear before a federal grand jury. Experts interviewed by the Los Angeles Times noted that accusations of corruption are frequently deployed by leaders in moments of political vulnerability.
“Accusations of corruption are extremely common and they’re used all over the world by dictators and people who are sliding into dictatorship,” Barbara Geddes, a political science professor emeritus at UCLA who has studied dictators for 25 years, told Los Angeles Times. Geddes added that Trump’s messaging may be intensifying because Democrats have effectively utilized corruption charges against him.
Princeton University professor Kim Lane Scheppele, who studies democratic transitions and has lived in Russia and Hungary, told Los Angeles Times that Trump appears to draw inspiration from recently ousted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban rather than Russian President Vladimir Putin. Scheppele said that “weaponizing criminal justice is exactly how” would-be autocrats seize power by accusing rivals of actions they are performing themselves.
Lauren Bis, a White House spokesperson, rejected comparisons between Trump and authoritarian leaders as “insanity,” pointing out that the nation recently held an election and describing such criticisms as far-left smears lacking any basis in reality. Meanwhile, White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller defended the president’s actions, crediting Trump with having “single-handedly saved America from those who would destroy it.”
Administration officials have accused a broad range of opponents of corruption and criminality, including elected Democrats, liberal state attorneys general, federal judges, Federal Reserve officials, former military officers, law enforcement leaders, medical doctors, journalists, and late-night comedians.
The allegations have occasionally targeted decades-old paperwork, such as Trump accusing Sen. Adam Schiff of California of mortgage fraud over listing two homes as his primary residence, or federal raids targeting immigration paperwork filed decades ago by the father of Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
The Justice Department has also issued criminal subpoenas to providers of gender-affirming care, demanding patient records and threatening clinicians. Claims brought to the courts against figures such as New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey have been rejected, while federal prosecutors have largely been unable to bring charges despite pressure from Trump.
Trump’s latest accusations follow a midterm election where voters cast ballots against his party, with an Associated Press poll indicating that more than half of voters viewed government corruption as a primary factor. Concurrently, congressional Democrats are preparing investigations into the Trump administration, including probes into the handling of Jeffrey Epstein files, immigration operations, and corporate corruption.
Garcia stated his committee intends to investigate what he termed “the Trump Crime Family,” pointing to a $2-billion fortune amassed last year, stock trading while in office, a $2-billion investment from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund in Jared Kushner’s private equity firm, and a Russian oligarch funding Donald Trump Jr.’s island wedding celebration.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon have also announced plans for congressional inquiries into real estate projects, cryptocurrency deals, and pharmaceutical companies.
“Doing oversight is part of the job we were given by the Constitution and the American people, and we will do it,” Schiff told Los Angeles Times.
“What’s particularly brazen about how Trump plays the corruption card is that he does it from the summit of power at a time when his family and friends are earning billions of dollars from government-adjacent business,” Treisman told Los Angeles Times.
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta told Los Angeles Times that the administration is “using their abuse of the law as both sword and shield” to target opponents while claiming federal immunity.
Scheppele told Los Angeles Times that Trump’s recent escalation of rhetoric reflects an effort to re-instill fear and assert control as public opposition grows.
