Robert Garcia: Democrats Would Subpoena Donald Trump Allies Who Defy Congress

Rep. Robert Garcia, the California Democrat who is ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said Friday that a Democratic majority would open four investigations into the Trump administration on its first day. He said Democrats would first ask senior figures to come in and subpoena only those who refuse.

The promise depends on Democrats winning the House on November 3. Garcia made it on The Don Lemon Show after Don Lemon pressed him on the stakes, saying that "control of the House determines who can issue subpoenas."

"We're going to ask them to come in, and if they choose not to come in, you can absolutely expect for there to be subpoenas going out the door to ensure that we have compliance with a serious process," Garcia said. "If they're going to defy Congress, that's when the subpoenas are going to come in."

Robert Garcia's Four Oversight Investigations

Garcia said Democrats would have "four major investigative lanes that oversight will be involved in immediately, like day one."

The first is what he called Trump family corruption, including "Jared Kushner and the Affinity Partners, the billions of dollars coming in from the Saudis," the Trump sons' seats on corporate boards, cryptocurrency and stock trading. The second is DHS and ICE, focused on Corey Lewandowski and Kristi Noem. "There is a lot of allegations. We have some evidence. We've talked to whistleblowers about serious, serious, what we believe is abuse of power and pay-to-play as it relates to contracting," he said.

The third is corporate accountability. "If you're in bed with the Trumps, if you're paying for all these crazy projects at the White House and monuments to please Donald Trump or you're harming the American public, we're going to be looking into that," Garcia said. The fourth is the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, which he said would bring "real justice for the survivors, real accountability, real public hearings."

The Public Record Behind Each Investigation

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund invested $2 billion in Affinity Partners, Kushner's private equity firm, as The New York Times reported in 2022. Trump's annual financial disclosure, released June 30, 2026, listed $236.25 million in World Liberty Financial token-sale proceeds and $65.6 million from selling equity in WLF Holdco, together about $302 million, plus about $1.8 million in ether staking rewards. In March, Garcia expanded an inquiry into alleged pay-to-play in DHS contracts involving Lewandowski.

Garcia said Noem and Bondi "resigned under enormous pressure." The reporting differs: Trump removed Noem as homeland security secretary in March and moved her to a special envoy role, and removed Bondi as attorney general in April.

Garcia also said Oversight Democrats had written to Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, over a reported request that donor Eric Deters help pay a $100,000 American Express bill. Lemon said on the show that The Wall Street Journal had reported on messages describing that request and discussions about reaching administration officials. Her lawyer disputes that the messages are authentic. Deters, who appeared on Lemon's show earlier that day, said he paid her about $300,000 over the years and got no favors in return. "We've already written to her with a series of questions," Garcia said. "We haven't heard back yet."

What Democrats Can Do Before January

After a November win, Garcia said, "it won't be until January where we'll really be able to hold folks accountable, control the budget, hold hearings, have subpoena power." But he said Democrats have held field hearings "even when Republicans won't attend," and have tried "to use and force subpoenas through the Republican House and party." "We can't just wait for January," he said.

What Happens Next

Garcia said "the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency is here." Lemon closed the show by predicting "there's going to be a reckoning in this country" in November.

None of it can happen unless Democrats win the House. Whether witnesses would comply, or tie the committee up in court for years, is still an open question.