After taking control of Congress, Democrats vow major probes into
Trump's 'tentacles of corruption'
[November 06, 2026]
By SEUNG MIN KIM and MARY CLARE JALONICK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Corruption topped the list of concerns for voters who
ousted Republicans and handed Democrats control of Congress in the
midterm elections. Now, the newly empowered Democratic Party is putting
the issue front and center as its leaders chart their course for
investigations and policymaking.
Senior Democrats in both chambers of Congress have vowed to marshal the
subpoena powers and larger investigative staffs that come with their
soon-to-be majorities to probe what they say is the self-enrichment that
President Donald Trump and people in his orbit have done at the public’s
expense. The Republican president and his White House have long denied
any wrongdoing.
House Democrats are preparing a vast oversight agenda to look at how
Trump and his family have become wealthier since he returned to office —
and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who's in line to
become House speaker, has not ruled out trying to impeach Trump for a
third time.
Months ago, Jeffries tasked the ranking Democrats on the Oversight and
Judiciary committees, Rep. Robert Garcia of California and Rep. Jamie
Raskin of Maryland, with leading the effort, as Democrats work to link
the costs of public corruption to the affordability concerns hitting
Americans’ pocketbooks.
“Lawyer up,” Garcia posted on X as election results favoring Democrats
began coming in on Tuesday night.
The Senate is expected to conduct similar investigations.
“Americans want us to clean up corruption in government,” said Sen.
Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is poised to return as Senate majority leader
next year. “No American should have to make tradeoffs at the supermarket
while Trump is making inside trades on the stock market.”
Investigation targets could include ICE raids, Epstein and DOGE
Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight and Government Reform
Committee, has outlined five priorities, including Trump family business
dealings, the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein
investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Rep.
Jared Huffman of California, the ranking Democrat on the Natural
Resources Committee, said he wants to dig into Trump’s White House
ballroom and other construction projects, as well as the Trump family’s
role in mineral deals.
With the House majority comes an infusion of congressional committee
staff and resources, and the effort is expected to be sprawling,
involving House committees with authority to conduct oversight on
Cabinet officials and the agencies they lead.
In the Senate, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who is expected to
become the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee’s Permanent
Subcommittee on Investigations, said his panel will want to look into
Trump's real estate projects around the nation’s capital and his crypto
dealings with special envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff is a longtime ally
who partnered with Trump on the president’s family cryptocurrency
venture, World Liberty Financial.
“The tentacles of corruption reach deep in this administration, and they
have added costs to everyday Americans,” Blumenthal said in an interview
with The Associated Press on Wednesday. The senator added that he also
wants hearings on ICE raids, the actions of the Department of Government
Efficiency and Medicare plans he says are too restrictive and have cost
some patients care.
Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, who is in line to become
Senate Finance Committee chairman, ticked off several investigative
targets that he describes as part of an “accountability” agenda,
including banks that he contends ignored red flags about the financial
dealings of Epstein and pharmaceutical companies that have profited from
their ties to the Trump administration.
“When I am chair, they will be forced to answer to the Senate Finance
Committee for their role in hurting the American people and enabling
Trump’s corruption,” Wyden said in a statement Wednesday.
The issue of corruption resonated for voters, The AP Voter Poll shows
Many U.S. voters in Tuesday’s elections expressed deep concerns about
government corruption and the state of democracy, according to The AP
Voter Poll, which surveyed more than 100,000 voters nationwide.
While roughly 4 in 10 voters said the economy was the top issue facing
the country, about 3 in 10 said that “the state of democracy” was the
top issue. About half of U.S. voters said government corruption was
“crucial” to their vote for Congress, and most of those voters supported
the Democratic candidate in their local U.S. House race, while about
one-third said they voted for the Republican.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a tour of the White House
Ballroom construction at the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026,
in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
About 8 in 10 voters who said “the state of democracy” was the top
issue facing the country supported the Democrat, while about 2 in 10
supported the Republican.
Older voters, those age 65 or older, were more likely than voters
under 65 to say “the state of democracy” was the most important
issue facing the country. About 4 in 10 older voters pointed to this
as the nation’s top problem, compared with about 3 in 10 who said
the economy. That view was reversed with younger voters, who were
more likely to call the economy the top issue.
That explains why anti-corruption played such a central role in
Democratic campaigns this cycle, with candidates accusing their
Republican opponents of looking out for themselves or their donors
rather than a broader constituency. They embraced stock trading bans
and bans on former members of Congress becoming lobbyists and
promised to be part of an effort to root out corruption.
Democrats' challenge: Focusing on corruption without ignoring
cost-of-living issues
In his public comments since his party lost the elections, Trump has
taken a conciliatory tone toward Democrats, conceding that they “did
a good job” in their campaigns as he’s tried to skirt personal blame
for the GOP’s midterm thrashing. That could change as investigations
ramp up.
“As the president has said, he’s willing to work with anyone to
continue delivering victories for hardworking Americans,” White
House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said Wednesday. “If Democrats choose to
pursue sham investigations and radical left policies, they are
choosing to work against the American people.”
Schumer insisted that congressional Democrats will be able to
balance legislating on key issues, such as affordability, while
launching investigations to target “rampant corruption.”
In a letter to Democratic lawmakers announcing his candidacy for
House speaker, Jeffries said the “days of the House functioning like
a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over.”
“The massive corruption the country has experienced from the Trump
Cartel explains why very little is getting done to help everyday
Americans,” Jeffries wrote as he promised to target price gouging
and push for a stock trading ban for lawmakers. “That changes
immediately.”
The challenge for Democrats will be to continue to tie corruption to
the affordability issues that topped the list of concerns for
voters.
The Congressional Integrity Project, an advocacy group initially
created to combat Republican investigations into President Joe
Biden's Democratic administration, is now shifting its focus to help
Democratic lawmakers make that connection. In a memo, the group
urged congressional Democrats to trace the Trump administration's
actions to people in and outside government, as well as
corporations, who may be profiting from those moves.
“Corruption is not just corruption,” said the group's senior
adviser, Jack Miller. “It is costing taxpayers and costing Americans
in their everyday lives."
Some Democratic lawmakers are already stressing that congressional
investigations have to be directly tied to affordability issues,
while urging restraint.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said that Democrats need to earn voters'
trust, and while investigations are an important part of the
Democratic agenda, “we can’t turn this into just a vengeance tour.”
“We have to be careful, cautious and judicious about that,” Welch
said.
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Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro and polling writer Linley
Sanders contributed to this report.
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