Top Democrat to Trump family: Lawyer up, subpoenas are coming

Rep. Robert Garcia isn't waiting for the gavel. The California Democrat, in line to lead the House Oversight Committee, dropped a video Friday telling President Donald Trump and his circle to get their lawyers ready — and he wasn't subtle about it. 'Oversight Democrats are ready to take on the crooks, the con men and the Trump crime family. Lawyer up,' Garcia wrote on X. The video closes with 'LAWYER UP' stamped across the screen.

The timing is no accident. Democrats rode sweeping midterm victories to take control of the House, and when the new Congress convenes in January, Garcia's committee inherits subpoena power. That means the ability to compel testimony and pry loose documents in probes that could reach Trump, his family and his allies.

Garcia rattled off his hit list: potential corruption tied to the Trump family's business dealings, its cryptocurrency ventures and Pentagon contracts, plus alleged abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He also vowed to scrutinize people he says are connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 'Oversight Democrats are absolutely going to ensure that we investigate every single one of these instances,' he said. 'Now let's get to work.'

Not everyone in his party is cheering the strategy. Some advisors have been pushing Democrats to train their fire on corporate interests instead of Trump and his family — a split Garcia's aggressive rollout seems to sidestep entirely.

Garcia, currently the committee's top Democrat, formally launched his bid for the chairman's seat Thursday and is widely expected to lock it down. The White House has brushed off the planned investigations as politically motivated, according to CNBC, setting up a bruising showdown between the administration and the incoming Democratic majority. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.