Congress
Robert Garcia makes Oversight chair bid official
Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, formally announced his bid to chair the powerful investigative panel in a letter to colleagues on Thursday.
The California Democrat, who this week issued a wide message for the Trump administration and other oversight targets to “lawyer up,” made the case for his leadership by promising to hold power to account, take on corruption and lower costs for Americans.
“Accountability and affordability go hand in hand. When the government is corrupted for personal gain over the public interest, Americans lose trust and taxpayer dollars are wasted,” Garcia wrote. “Our Committee must expose that corruption, protect the public, and help deliver a government that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected.”
Garcia has said he wants to probe the federal contracts awarded to members of President Donald Trump’s family; the series of pardons Trump granted early in his second term; cryptocurrency-related profits collected by the president; and Trump’s acquisition of a Qatari 747 jet to serve as an interim Air Force One.
He also plans to ramp up the House investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as well as those who facilitated his crimes.
Garcia has signaled he intends to investigate Trump’s inner sanctum as well, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief Stephen Miller, along with Trump’s son-in-law and foreign envoy Jared Kushner. He has mentioned Corey Lewandowski — along with Lewandowski’s old boss, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as ripe targets for inquiry over allegations of a pay-to-play scheme.
“I love this country,” Garcia said over the summer in describing how he sees his role in bringing “accountability” to the executive branch. “It’s sad to me what government, what the Congress, what the president, has done to it.”