We’ve known the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives would trigger a game-changing situation for President Trump in the form of oversight and investigations. We’ve also heard many argue that the biggest threats to Trump might not come from the Russia probe but from a host of more mundane or at least less outlandish topics, many of which tie back to his private business, the Trump Organization. Now, a month in, we’re starting to see how true that is and how unprepared for it the President seems to be.
Yesterday we saw Rep. Adam Schiff announce a re-do of the Russia probe that has a far broader purview, reaching deep into the President’s own personal and business finances. Rep. Nadler, at Judiciary, has an investigation into the Justice Department that touches on elements of the Russia probe. Rep. Engel, Chair of the Foreign Affairs committee, has yet another investigation into emoluments clause violations and whether the President’s private business interests are affecting his foreign policy decisions. And this is all at least formally separate from efforts to get hold of the President’s tax returns, which is under the purview of Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal.