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Incoming House Oversight Chair Robert Garcia warns Trump team: "Lawyer up"
California Congressman Robert Garcia is now set to lead the House Oversight committee after Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress. He's now warning the Trump administration to "lawyer up".
LOS ANGELES - Following the midterm election results that handed Democrats control of Congress, US Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) is now set to chair the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee starting in January.
In an online post, he warned Trump administration officials to "lawyer up." Speaking at a news conference in Huntington Beach, Garcia outlined a wide-ranging investigative agenda targeting several issues, including DHS immigration enforcement, and lingering high-profile controversies.
Key investigative focuses
Dig deeper:
Garcia, who represents the 42nd congressional district of California, stated that the Oversight Committee will be "focused like a laser" on several major issue areas.
He said the first focus will be investigating alleged crimes within the Trump family.
The California congressman says another focus will be investigating corporate corruption. He also added he wants to look into the Department of Homeland Security operations and alleged enforcement abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Southern California and nationwide.
He also wants to look into the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and unanswered questions surrounding the convicted child sex abuser.
"It is shameful that those in charge have not held one hearing on the Jeffery Epstein investigation in the US house, not one public hearing," Garcia said. "The files have not even all been released."
What they're saying:
Political strategist Luis Alvarado noted that economic pressure was a primary driver for voters on election night and that Democrats have a responsibility now to deliver.
"They have to demonstrate that they see a vision, that they will build a mechanism that is actually going to change the way people feel safe in their households when they go to buy groceries and put gas in their car," Alvarado said.
"This new Democratic caucus is focused on affordability, that is why we were elected," Garcia said during Wednesday's press conference. "We were elected because the cost of gas, groceries, rent, the mortgage is too high and costs continue to go up."
Expanding district footprint
The news conference took place in Huntington Beach, which becomes part of Garcia's congressional district in January. Acknowledging that Huntington Beach and Orange County have historically been conservative strongholds, Garcia emphasized a commitment to serving all constituents regardless of party alignment.
The Source: Information for this story came from a press conference held by Robert Garcia. An interview was also conducted with political strategist Luis Alvarado.