Congress
Sanders warns Democrats about spending too much time investigating Trump
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday applauded the Democrats’ midterm victories but warned the incoming majority against spending too much time investigating President Donald Trump.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the Vermont progressive said holding the Trump administration “accountable” is important — but addressing affordability must take priority.
“We cannot spend all of our time investigating Trump,” Sanders said. “We’ve got to stand up for working-class families, make a real difference in their lives.”
Democrats ran on a message of affordability ahead of the midterms, knocking the Trump administration for sky-high gas and grocery prices, the cost of living and rising healthcare costs. But they also vowed to investigate administration officials; incoming House Oversight Committee leader Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) on Sunday warned that Democrats could investigate everything from pardons Trump made earlier in his second term to Trump allies including Elon Musk and the president’s newly appointed chief of staff Stephen Miller.
Still, Sanders on Sunday said the election was about more than just Americans wanting to tackle the Trump administration’s “corruption and illegal, unconstitutional actions.”
“What I think this election was about, is the American people not only expressing disgust with Trump and his policies, but are demanding real change, no more tinkering around the edges,” said Sanders. “And what the American people are saying: Look, we are working long hours. We’re worried about our kids. We can’t afford healthcare. We can’t afford housing.”
But Sanders, who serves on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), also told BLN’s “State of the Union” that he would be “open” to a proposal by Sen.-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.) to impeach Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
“At the very least, I think, he is the most dangerous secretary of the HHS in history and he needs to be held accountable,” said Sanders. “We’re going to bring him before the committee, that’s for sure, and ask him some tough questions that have not been asked of him previously.”
And though Sanders accused Trump of being “erratic,” he added that the president is “a good politician” that Democrats may be able to work with.
“I think, when Trump looks out in the world and he sees millions of people working for starvation wages, he might not be unsympathetic to raising the minimum wage to a living wage,” said Sanders. “He would love, I think, to take credit for doing what every other major country does: guaranteeing healthcare to all people.”