Donald Trump has ordered the US Department of Justice to investigate Democratic lawmakers over what he described as threats to impeach members of his administration, including Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The president announced the move in a Truth Social post on Saturday, 7 November, days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. The party is expected to begin a series of investigations into the Trump administration when it takes power in January. ([sa.marketscreener.com](https://sa.marketscreener.com/news/trump-orders-doj-to-look-into-democrats-for-threatening-people-ce785fd2d180f22d))
Trump accused Democrats of threatening officials with impeachment, punishment and possible imprisonment, although he provided no evidence that any criminal conduct had taken place.
“The Democrats are going around threatening a lot of people, including the Attorney General of the United States, and others, with Impeachment and many other forms of punishment, even though they admit they have no reason to do so,” he wrote.
He described the alleged conduct as “extortion at the highest level” and said the Justice Department should investigate it as a criminal act. Trump also claimed that Democratic lawmakers had threatened Republican donors with imprisonment, but did not identify any of those donors.
Democrats threaten impeachment investigations
Two House Democrats, Hank Johnson of Georgia and Deborah Ross of North Carolina, have said they would support impeaching Mr Blanche.
Mr Johnson told SiriusXM’s The Dan Abrams Show that he believed the attorney general’s “offenses” warranted impeachment, conviction and removal from office. Ms Ross said she also supported impeachment proceedings, but believed Democrats should first examine the conduct of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Trump did not name either lawmaker in his post. He also did not refer directly to the likelihood that Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky will reintroduce impeachment articles against Mr Hegseth.
The president singled out Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, over comments she made last month at the University of Chicago. Ms Slotkin said she wanted people considering government jobs under Mr Trump to understand that participating in his administration could bring legal and political consequences.
“I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration?’” she said. “I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that.’ I want that deterrence message sent.”
Reuters reported that Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah accused Ms Slotkin of threatening young people who wanted to enter politics. She rejected that interpretation, saying he had misrepresented her remarks. On Saturday, she wrote that people who broke the law or used taxpayers’ money for personal gain should be held accountable. ([sa.marketscreener.com](https://sa.marketscreener.com/news/trump-orders-doj-to-look-into-democrats-for-threatening-people-ce785fd2d180f22d))
Mr Trump’s announcement comes as Democrats prepare to use their control of Congress to demand documents, summon administration officials and hold hearings. Planned areas of scrutiny reportedly include the president’s financial dealings, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Mr Hegseth and Mr Blanche. ([aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/7/trump-orders-doj-to-investigate-democrats-for-threatening-people))
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Mr Blanche, who previously represented Mr Trump in criminal cases, became attorney general on 10 August 2026, according to the department’s official profile. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/ag/staff-profile/meet-attorney-general))
