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White House Threatens Garcia With a Criminal Probe

The White House counsel wrote the incoming Oversight chairman that Democrats' threats and subpoenas "may cross the line into blatant criminality." His three-page letter cited no criminal statute.

Zev Shalev's avatar
Zev Shalev
Nov 11, 2026
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Will Scharf's letter to Rep. Robert Garcia ran three pages. It cited two Supreme Court cases and no criminal statute.

Scharf, the White House counsel, dated the letter Monday, Nov. 9. Garcia, a California Democrat, is the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee. The new Congress convenes Jan. 3. Politico published the letter Wednesday.

"We are monitoring the abusive and capricious threats that are now proliferating from Democrat legislators," Scharf wrote. Process "designed merely to abuse or instill fear in the recipient may cross the line into blatant criminality," the letter said. Issuing unlawful subpoenas "may warrant further investigation."

It was the third threat against congressional oversight in three days. None of the three named a crime.

Page 3 of Scharf's Nov. 9 letter to Garcia. Source: White House counsel's office via Politico/DocumentCloud

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