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The Trump administration has quietly been laying the groundwork for an aggressive all-out effort to thwart newly empowered Democrats’ attempts at oversight.
In his first term, President Trump approached congressional investigations with a strategy of resisting and stonewalling, hoping to stall the inquiries until Democrats ran out of time.
But in anticipation of Democrats’ return to control of Congress in his second term, Mr. Trump has embarked on an even more aggressive maneuver: threatening to treat some legislative oversight as a potential crime.
That tactic is expected to be part of an all-out effort by the White House to block Democratic congressional oversight over the next two years.
The pushback will be led in part by Mr. Trump’s new chief of staff, Stephen Miller, a political brawler with extensive experience on Capitol Hill. It will be bolstered by a Justice Department and a White House Counsel’s Office that have been quietly laying the groundwork for the fight.
At stake: whether the Trump administration can prevent Democrats from getting access to its decision-making and scrutinizing the actions of top officials and powerful people, in and out of government. Mr. Trump has also become increasingly concerned that some of his biggest supporters who give money toward his prized construction projects will be targeted, according to aides and his public statements.
The White House is bracing for a spate of investigations, and officials say they are ready to punch back.
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