President Donald Trump fought back Wednesday morning in response to the notion that the Democrat-led House could investigate his finances and Russian ties, but he could be playing right into their hands.
“If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level,” Trump said in a tweet.
If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley weighed in on the idea that Trump ordering investigations, and how they could come back to haunt him.
“The misuse of official authority and powers has historically been a focus of impeachment inquiries,” Turley told Law&Crime.
Now, if the Senate decides on their own to conduct an investigation, independent of any influence from the president, that would be a different story.
Much worse, however, would be if Trump were to get the Department of Justice involved to investigate Democratic members of the House of Representatives. Such a move would spark cries of abuse of power. Especially if the House members were investigating Trump’s Russia ties, as they may be planning. In fact, this could be exactly what they want to happen.
“The dream of his critics would be for him to … order the use of investigatory powers at the Justice Department against his critics,” Turley said.
[Image via MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images]
