Trump Vows Comeback as Democrats and Justice Department Clash Over Congressional Probes

Donald Trump promised a comeback on Sunday, five days after Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterm elections. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote that America had taken a giant step back in history with the results, and added that the stock market, which had grown during his tenure, took a loss after the vote. "But have no fear, we will be back, BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!" he wrote.

The results leave him politically hamstrung as he enters the last two years of his term, the so-called lame duck period. They also open the way for Democrats, who now control Congress, to investigate the president, his family and senior members of his administration. With control of committees in both chambers, they can summon officials, demand documents and hold public hearings. The likely subjects include the Trump family's business and cryptocurrency dealings, government contracts involving billionaire Elon Musk, cuts to federal agencies, immigration enforcement and the conduct of the war with Iran.

On Friday, Trump named Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff, a choice that signals a bare-knuckle response to the defeat. Miller was the architect of Trump's tough immigration policy, which analysts have identified as a contributing factor in the unpopularity of Republicans and their losses. Many Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, have reflected on why the party fared so badly at the polls.

On Saturday, after Democrats warned administration officials to "lawyer up," Trump said he was ordering the Justice Department to examine Democratic threats to impeach members of his administration. He likened those threats to "extortion."

The sharpest immediate target is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a key architect of the war on Iran, which began in February. Hakeem Jeffries, who is set to become speaker of the new Democratic-controlled House, told ABC he would support an effort to remove Hegseth, in response to a question about a Republican lawmaker's reported plan to introduce an impeachment motion as early as Monday. "I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution," Jeffries said. He accused Hegseth of abusing his power, undermining national security and engineering a "reckless and costly war of choice" that has skyrocketed prices for Americans and made the country less safe. "Pete Hegseth has got to go," he said.

Trump defended Hegseth to reporters on Sunday. "I mean he's guilty of two things, basically winning two wars," he said, referring to the January US raid on Venezuela that removed president Nicolas Maduro and the ongoing Iran war. "We won in Venezuela. We've taken out hundreds of billions of dollars. We won in 48 minutes. And we won in Iran," he said, adding that it was "just a question of closing it out now or later."

Attorney General Todd Blanche, formerly Trump's personal lawyer and now head of the Justice Department, told CNN the department would actively defend the president and senior officials. "If they try to come after Stephen Miller...instead of actually just conducting oversight and leading, of course the Department of Justice will be there to defend him," he said.

Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, answered Blanche directly, also on CNN. He said one role of Congress under the Constitution is to hold the executive branch to account, and that Blanche "wants to protect Donald Trump," his cabinet and administration officials, which is not his job. Garcia vowed to stop corruption and investigate "those that are committing crimes against the American public." "They can come after us however they want. We're not going to be intimidated," he said.

What to watch next: whether a Hegseth impeachment motion is actually introduced and advances, and whether the Justice Department acts on Trump's order to examine the Democratic threats.