The leader of the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, Steve Scalise, urged the chairpersons of his party's committees to begin developing a strategy to defend Donald Trump, his family, and his allies against investigations that Democrats may pursue following their electoral victory.
The instruction appears in a letter dated November 5, disseminated by the journalist from Fox News, Bill Melugin, and reported by Politico, in which Scalise acknowledges the Republican defeat and warns of what he sees as an upcoming political offensive against the Trump administration.
"The Democrats in the House have indicated that they intend to impeach President Trump, but they will not stop there," wrote the congressman from Louisiana.
Scalise accused the opposition of trying to use their oversight powers to harass the president, his family, and members of his cabinet, in addition to pursuing his political allies.
"All of you will be a key line of defense in this fight," he warned.
The letter includes specific instructions on how to make the most of the remaining days for the Republicans in charge of the committees.
Among them is the creation of an inventory of investigations that Democrats could pursue, identifying officials, government programs, and external allies that could be subject to investigation, and examining how recent Supreme Court decisions might affect the exercise of parliamentary oversight.
Scalise also called for identifying conservative businessmen and organizations that, in his assessment, could become targets of the new majority.
The Democrats have already announced investigations against Trump
The warning comes after the Democratic Party regained control of the House of Representatives in the legislative elections on November 3rd.
The opposition also achieved a projected majority in the Senate, a result that will change the political balance in Washington when the new Congress takes office in January 2027.
Scalise's concerns align with the warnings from Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia, who promised to investigate the Trump family and potential abuses by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Get a lawyer,” García warned after the electoral projections became known.
Among the priorities announced by the Democrats are potential conflicts of interest related to the business dealings of the presidential family, actions of the Department of Homeland Security, and the management of the files linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
Research on ICE could also be relevant to the Cuban community in the United States, due to the detentions and deportations of immigrants during the Trump administration.
A third impeachment trial against Trump?
Despite the Republican warnings, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries assured that no member of his caucus has proposed starting a third impeachment against Trump.
"Not a single member of the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives has spoken to me about impeachment," declared Jeffries, who insisted that his priority is to reduce the cost of living and hold the government accountable.
However, he did not rule out that this procedure could be considered later, depending on the outcomes of the investigations.
Trump, who was subjected to two impeachment trials during his first term and acquitted by the Senate in both, stated that he is not afraid to face a third process.
Scalise's letter also arrives as the Republican leader seeks to become the House Minority Leader starting in January. He is competing for this position with Congressman Jim Jordan, while the current Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has announced that he will not run for the position.
The Republicans will retain control of the committees until the start of the new legislature, when the Democrats will be able to assume their chairmanships and utilize their subpoena and oversight powers to examine the actions of the Trump administration.
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