Rep. Robert Garcia, incoming House Oversight chair, outlines 4 new probes into Trump administration
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- In a two-word statement released late Tuesday after the Democrats were projected to take control of the House, Rep. Robert Garcia, the presumptive chairman of the House Oversight Committee, stated: "Lawyer up."
On Wednesday, he expanded on that terse statement during a news conference in Huntington Beach, which is part of the district he'll represent in the next Congress.
"We should be very clear that the American people have spoken loudly and clearly - they want change," Garcia told reporters. "They are tired of the destruction and the corruption of Donald Trump and this administration."
Garcia pointed to Democrats' electoral victories nationwide as a mandate. He said the Oversight Committee will be focused on four areas.
"The first is: We're going to take on the Trump crime family," Garcia said. "The amount of grift and corruption is unprecedented in American politics."
Garcia is expected to seek to interview Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner along with other Trump family members about their alleged business dealings.
"Our second investigation is focused on DHS and the abuses of ICE," the congressman said, referring to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "What we see on the streets -- across the country, but I want to talk about California - whether it's been here in Orange County, in Long Beach, in Los Angeles.
"When people are being kidnapped and detained, thrown to the ground, arms broken, people snatched up on their way to immigration appointments that we the government gave them - that's inhumane, it's wrong, and I think the American public - regardless of party - are sick of it.
Top Stories
Garcia said he plans to investigate corporate donors to the White House ballroom, no-bid contracts like the Reflecting Pool contractor and companies he has said are "ripping off" the American public.
"While you're struggling, CEOs and companies across this country are making record profits," he said. "They're putting in systems of surveillance pricing, so that when you go to the supermarket, you might be paying a different price than your neighbor."
As it relates to the Epstein investigation, Garcia said that he wants to hold public hearings, which would replace the interviews that occurred behind closed doors when Republicans were in control.
Garcia, whose congressional district includes parts of Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Seal Beach and Newport Beach, said he is "proud to represent all of Orange County."
He added: "I just want to be very clear that the days of Huntington Beach being a MAGA city are over. This is a community that is diverse, that — as I've knocked doors, people just want good services, people want good representation, and I'm excited to represent the entire community.
"It's clear that this city voted for change, the county voted for change, and we're looking forward to delivering that change and focusing on the issues that people here care about — coastal protection, investment in infrastructure, treating people with kindness, and good government, and bringing back federal dollars for investment, so we can fund our libraries and our streets, and our community."
