Democrat lawmaker Robert Garcia has told Donald Trump to 'lawyer up' after the Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections. Garcia, who represents California, issued the warning to the 'Trump crime family' moments after it was projected that the Democrats would take control of both the House and Senate, outperforming expectations.
Garcia to Lead House Oversight
As incoming chair of the House committee on oversight and government reform, Garcia will lead the main investigative arm of the US House of Representatives. This gives him the power to call witnesses, request government records, issue subpoenas, and launch congressional investigations into the Trump administration and its allies.
Garcia has previously signalled he will look to launch probes into alleged misconduct within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has been accused of abuses of power while carrying out Trump's mass deportations programme. Other targets for investigation include Elon Musk's role in DOGE, the Trump family's business dealings, and whether Department of Justice files are being withheld for political reasons in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Statement on Victory
A statement released via the House Oversight Democrats said: "Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released the following statement after Democrats secured a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives."
"Following this win, Garcia will become Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, where he has vowed to take on the Trump Crime Family, corporate corruption, DHS and ICE abuses, and the cover-up of the Epstein files. His statement can be found below: 'Lawyer up.'"
Democrats Celebrate Key Wins
A landmark win for the Democrats was meanwhile celebrated in Texas, where 37-year-old James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in a hard-fought US Senate race. More than half a billion dollars (£371million) was spent by both sides during the campaign, making it the most expensive US Senate election in history.
It includes $158 million (£117million) donated by Elon Musk to the Senate Leadership Fund, the same amount that the fund then gave to Texas PAC, the largest contributor to Paxton's campaign. Talarico told his supporters that his victory was one for the "politics of love." "This win is for every Texan who has ever wondered if anyone is ever listening", he said. "I heard you. We heard you. And tonight, the world hears you."
Meanwhile, Trump has congratulated Democrats for their string of victories, but claimed the defeat of GOP candidates in normally safe seats had nothing to do with him. The US president said in a phone interview with Fox News: "The Democrats did a good job. They fought hard. I don't view it as a hit on me. We've had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency."
