Democrats grab subpoena power as AG Blanche floats probing lawmakers

Democrats didn't just win the midterms — they grabbed the gavels. After romping to majorities in both chambers on Tuesday, they're now positioned to take control of committee subpoena power in January, with vote counts still ticking in a handful of states.

The numbers so far: at least 54 Senate seats and 254 House seats, according to CNBC. That's enough to put Sen. Elizabeth Warren in charge of the Senate Banking Committee and Rep. Robert Garcia at the helm of House Oversight — two perches with a clear view of the White House and the companies that do business with it.

Warren wasted no time drawing the target. On CBS' Face the Nation Sunday, the incoming Banking chair said companies profiting by cheating families and scamming investors should brace for investigations, adding that the American people are sick of it. CNBC reports Democrats plan an aggressive push into businesses tied to the Trump family, with tech, crypto and prediction markets first in line.

Attorney General Todd Blanche punched back. Pressed on CNN's State of the Union about whether the administration would counterinvestigate Democrats, he said there could be, and pointed to comments by Sen. Elissa Slotkin — who told a University of Chicago audience she wants young graduates to fear that working for the Trump administration would buy them a pile of problems. Trump has already ordered the Justice Department to investigate Democrats over those remarks.

Blanche also aimed at Garcia, saying he'd be very worried if he were a member of that committee. Garcia called it a threat, telling CNN that Blanche is trying to block real oversight and should reread the Constitution, which he said makes clear Congress' job is to oversee the executive branch.

So the table is set: subpoenas on one side, counterinvestigations on the other, and industries watching to see whose name lands on the first document request. January can't come fast enough — or maybe too fast.