Democratic Representative Robert Garcia has labeled Donald Trump’s family “corrupt” and promised an aggressive investigation into Stephen Miller, the president’s incoming chief of staff.
Garcia, a California Democrat who won a third term during last week’s midterm wave, made the remarks during an appearance on CNN’s Sunday morning programming.
He is expected to become chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. On election night, Garcia signaled that Trump and his administration would face scrutiny, posting a two-word message in capital letters: “LAWYER UP.”
Speaking on CNN, Garcia described Trump and his sons as “the most corrupt family to ever be in the Oval Office and the White House.” He went further, calling Donald Trump “the most corrupt person to ever be president of the United States.”
Garcia cited what he described as financial ties involving members of the Trump family. “You have Don Jr. getting hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Russian oligarch for his wedding,” he said, adding that Trump’s eldest son sits on boards connected to Pentagon contracts.
“You have Jared Kushner getting $2 billion from the Saudis after leaving the White House,” Garcia added.
The incoming oversight chairman said he intends to examine the Trump family’s business dealings, arguing that the public is struggling with rising household costs while the Trumps have grown “billions of dollars richer.”
Garcia also directed his criticism at Miller, whom Trump recently named as the successor to Susie Wiles as chief of staff.
California Representative Robert Garcia appeared on CNN Sunday and accused the Trump family of corruption while vowing to investigate them and incoming Chief of Staff Stephen Miller
Garcia told CNN that Donald Trump is “the most corrupt person to ever be president of the United States”
Garcia called Miller the architect of “horrific, unjust policy” nationwide and said the incoming chief of staff should face an investigation
Garcia announced his intention to investigate the Trump administration in a post shared on midterm election night
“Stephen Miller is the architect of this horrific, unjust policy happening across the country,” Garcia said. He also criticized Miller for calling Alex Pretti an assassin.
Pretti was an American citizen who immigration agents shot 10 times in the back while holding him on the ground during ICE protests in Minneapolis.
Miller had described Pretti as a “would-be assassin” and “domestic terrorist” who had “tried to murder federal law enforcement.” After facing widespread criticism and the emergence of video that appeared to conflict with those claims, Miller withdrew the allegations but did not apologize.
Garcia also accused Miller of creating immigration policies that separate families, cause harm and allow large companies to profit from what he called the unconstitutional detention of people.
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“That has to be investigated,” Garcia said, arguing that Miller was a central architect of the system.
He added that Miller sits at the center of major administration decisions, including policies involving immigration and Iran, making his role an appropriate subject for congressional oversight.
Since election night, Garcia has remained highly active on social media, repeatedly promising that a Democratic-led Oversight Committee would investigate the Trump administration, the president’s family and their political allies.
Garcia has vowed to confront the Trump family, major corporations and aggressive immigration enforcement. He has also called for an investigation into what he describes as a White House cover-up involving the Epstein files.
Garcia won a third term and is expected to become chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Garcia said he wants to examine claims involving Donald Trump Jr., including reports that he received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Russian oligarch for his wedding
Garcia questioned Jared Kushner’s receipt of $2 billion from Saudi interests after leaving the White House. Kushner is pictured with Ivanka Trump
Garcia said his message means Democrats will no longer simply “turn the other cheek” when Republicans attack them
Garcia’s statements have drawn responses from prominent conservatives and Trump administration officials, including former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Attorney General Todd Blanche.
After Garcia issued a statement through the Oversight Committee declaring that “Stephen Miller should lawyer up,” Blanche responded on X: “The Chief of Staff already has a lawyer. The Attorney General of the United States and the Department of Justice.”
Garcia fired back by asking when Blanche would testify under oath about what he described as a cover-up involving the Epstein files, adding: “Or are you too scared to come in?”
In a Saturday night interview with Lara Trump on Fox News, Leavitt pointed to Garcia’s election-night statement and said his first message had been “Lawyer up.”
Leavitt accused Democrats of pursuing political retribution, obstruction and impeachment rather than focusing on the priorities of the voters who elected them.
Garcia has occasionally used humor to deliver the same message. On his personal X account, he shared an image of the clown from the horror film “It” peering from a sewer, captioned: “When they go low this is me.”
Explaining the post on CNN, Garcia said it was a joke but reflected his belief that Democrats should no longer simply take the high road when Republicans attack them. Instead, he said, they would get “down and be in that fight.”
