Garcia Says Musk and Miller Will Likely Face Congressional Probes, Blanche Says Administration Is Ready

Rep. Robert Garcia of California said on Sunday that Elon Musk and Stephen Miller will likely be targets of congressional investigations when Democrats take control of Congress in January. Garcia is in line to chair the House Oversight Committee after Democrats won both chambers in the Nov. 3 midterms.

Garcia told CNN's State of the Union that investigations will focus on Musk's role in the Department of Government Efficiency and its firing of federal workers last year, and on Miller's role in the immigration crackdown. "I think there's a lot of interest, not just from our committee, but from committees across the Congress to speak to Mr. Musk," Garcia said, according to Reuters.

The case Garcia laid out

Garcia called Miller the architect of an immigration policy he described as "horrific, unjust," according to Reuters. Trump said on Friday that Miller will replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff starting Monday. "Stephen Miller is at the center of the major policy decisions that are happening in the administration, and so it does deserve oversight and investigation," Garcia said.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in October found that 37 percent of Americans approved of Trump's handling of immigration, down from 50 percent when he took office, Reuters reported. The crackdown included operations in which two people were fatally shot in Minnesota by federal agents.

Garcia first warned Miller on Friday, hours after the announcement, saying Miller should "lawyer up" and that Oversight Democrats will continue to investigate him. On Sunday he widened the point, saying committees across Congress share the interest in speaking to Musk, not only his own panel.

Blanche says the administration is ready

Attorney General Todd Blanche answered on Sunday. He said the administration is prepared to battle Democrats in Congress and called threats to target officials and allies "not something we can tolerate in this country," according to Reuters.

"If that's what this new incoming leadership wants to do, we are ready," Blanche said. "If you work in this administration, you have a lawyer. It's me."

Garcia, who spoke on CNN after Blanche, said Democrats will not be intimidated. He argued that the attorney general was acting as a personal lawyer for officials, when the job is to defend the Constitution and serve as the people's lawyer.

Jeffries backs a Hegseth impeachment vote

Hakeem Jeffries, who will become Speaker in January, told ABC's This Week that he is "a hard yes" on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

"I'm a hard Yes on the Hegseth resolution. The so-called Secretary of Defense has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran," Jeffries said, according to a transcript released by his office. "Pete Hegseth has got to go."

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, has filed eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973, along with other alleged offenses, the Washington Examiner reported. Massie has said he will reintroduce the resolution as early as Monday under a privileged procedure, which requires a floor vote within two legislative days. Jeffries said House Democrats will discuss it on Tuesday morning and predicted "incredibly strong support" for it.

What happens next

None of the promised investigations can compel testimony until the new Congress is sworn in in January. Democrats hold no committee gavels or subpoena power in the current Congress. Miller starts as chief of staff on Monday, the House returns the same day, and the first test could come within days if Massie forces the Hegseth vote onto the floor schedule.