Trump Calls for DOJ Probe of Democrats Over Alleged Threats

President Donald Trump said Saturday he is directing the Justice Department to investigate Democrats. He accused them of threatening administration officials and Republican donors.

Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, calling it "extortion at the highest level."
Trump said Attorney General Todd Blanche faced impeachment threats despite no impeachable acts.
Trump named one Democrat: Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.
Trump cited no statute or evidence. He did not identify the letters he described.

Why it matters: Democrats won control of the House and Senate in Tuesday's midterms. Their committees gain subpoena power when the new Congress takes office in January.

54 Senate seats are held by Democrats so far, with two races unresolved.
40-plus Republican-held House districts flipped, giving Democrats power to impeach officials.

The story so far

214 steps · since Oct 7

Oct 7–29
Oct 296:45 AMDemocrats Could Win Midterms, Threatening Trump's Agenda116 sources
Oct 29–31
Oct 311:11 PMDemocrats Score Midterm Wins as Republicans Suffer Rout206 sources
Nov 1
Nov 112:43 PMHaley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate Race112 sources
Nov 1–6
Nov 67:17 AMTrump Names Stephen Miller Chief of Staff After Midterm Losses115 sources
Nov 6–7
Nov 71:01 PMTrump Calls for DOJ Probe of Democrats Over Alleged ThreatsYou are here
Nov 74:49 PMUS Military Says It Fired on Vessel Breaching Iran Blockade13 sourcesLatest

How 25 sources split on this story

Source landscape

Factuality

High

Mixed

Low

Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right

Political Bias

Coverage by lean% of 25 sources

25 sources · 32 articles · 52% Right coverage

Where they split: Coverage divides on whether Trump fairly described Slotkin's remarks or misstated them to justify a probe of political opponents.

Center6 sources

Bloomberg12hTrump Threatens Democrats Over Their Plans to Probe His Team CNBC10hTrump targets Slotkin in call for DOJ probe of alleged Democratic threats to Republicans Newsweek11hTrump Orders DOJ to Investigate Democrats Over ‘Lawfare’ Threats The Hill10hTrump asks DOJ to investigate Democrats calling for impeachment of cabinet officials The National Desk11hTrump calls for DOJ probe into Democrats over alleged threats against officials, donors Times of Israel9hTrump orders Justice Department to probe Democrats for ‘threatening’ people

Left coverage, 6 sources: The left sees a president threatening jail for opponents, making claims about Slotkin without evidence as Democrats prepare oversight.

Raw Story9hAlarm as Trump lashes out like ‘caged animal’ at lawmakers: ‘This will end poorly’The Washington Post8hRepublican Sen. Ron Johnson accuses Trump administration of corruption Al Jazeera10hTrump orders DOJ to investigate Democrats for ‘threatening’ people Mediaite11hTrump Orders DOJ To Look Into Democrats’ ‘Criminal’ Acts Of ‘Threatening’ Republicans Political Wire11hTrump Orders Department of Justice to Probe Democrats Politico10hTrump calls for DOJ investigation into Democratic calls for oversight

Right coverage, 13 sources: The right centers Trump's charge that Democrats are using impeachment threats as extortion, though some outlets note his Slotkin claim exceeds her remarks.

New York Post12hTrump demands DOJ investigation, prison for 'extortionist' Democrats following GOP's midterm blowout Just the News1dTrump calls Democrats ‘extortionists,’ says DOJ should investigate their impeachment threats Daily Mail12hTrump demands probe into 'extortionist' Democrats who are threatening to impeach Republicans Newsmax13hTrump Orders DOJ Probe of Democrats Over 'Extortion' Claims Citizen Free Press12hDemocrats threaten donors who gave to Trump.Conservative Treehouse11hPresident Trump asks DOJ to Investigate Threats from Congress OutKick12hTrump orders DOJ probe into Democrats over alleged threats against admin officials PJ Media15hDemocrats Told Trump to 'Lawyer Up.' He Just Flipped the Script on Them.RedState15hTrump: Report Dem Threats to Republican Party Members, Donors to DOJ - or Him Directly The Gateway Pundit11hJUST IN: President Trump Orders DOJ to Investigate “Extortionist” Democrats For Threatening His Allies * The Gateway Pundit * by Cristina Laila The Right Scoop11hBIG BREAKING: Trump orders DOJ to investigate Dem threatening letters The Washington Times11h'EXTORTIONISTS': Trump ordering probe of Democrats threatening Republicans Washington Examiner9hTrump orders DOJ to investigate Democrats over 'extortion'

What’s next: It was not clear Saturday whether the Justice Department had formally opened an investigation.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the likely House Judiciary chair, said Blanche could face impeachment hearings.
Removal would require two-thirds of the Senate, beyond Democrats' current majority.
What letters did Trump mean, and who sent them?
What federal law, if any, would the Justice Department say was broken?
Will Republican senators back any impeachment effort Democrats launch?