Corporate America spent two years courting Trump. Now it’s lawyering up.

Democrats' capture of Congress has set off a scramble among major American corporations, which spent two years cultivating President Donald Trump and now expect subpoenas when the new majority takes over in January. Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee and likely its next chairman, told companies on election night to "lawyer up." MS NOW reports that some firms expecting scrutiny have quietly contacted Democrats, and that more than a dozen lawyers and congressional staff foresee most targets cooperating to some extent. Their concern is less a single bad headline than a future Justice Department acting on referrals the current one is expected to ignore. Companies also fear being attacked in campaign ads and having spending bills used to bar firms with ties to the president's family from federal contracts.

The administration is preparing a counterweight. In August, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion that lets the White House assert executive privilege over certain dealings with private parties, which could encourage Trump loyalists to resist Congress.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →