WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Top House Republicans are demanding answers from the Department of Justice for its decision to investigate former President Donald Trump and say investigating the DOJ will be a top priority if they take control of the House this midterm election.
Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., are vowing to get to the bottom of the FBI search of Trump’s estate.
“It is unprecedented,” he said. “I haven’t heard any justification that is even plausible.”
Hawley says he supports House hearings to question top Justice Department officials including the attorney general.
“I think Merrick Garland should resign over this. I think he should be removed from office,” he said.
House Republican Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Calif., is promising an investigation that will leave “no stone unturned” if Republicans seize control after the midterm election.
Until then, the former president and the Justice Department remain locked in a legal battle. Both sides have until midnight on Friday to submit their suggestions for which independent third party should review the documents removed from Trump’s home.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, who is a former CIA agent, says the investigation is definitely warranted.
“We’re asked to believe that a former president who took some boxes with him that that’s somehow a massive crime…No one believes that,” Slotkin said. “The cover sheets on those classified documents indicate some significant classification//top secret classification//that should be concerning for everybody.”
She says Republican threats to retaliate are dangerous.
“I don’t think that’s good for the country,” she said. “In my republican leaning district, people just want their government to function.”
