House Democrats who will soon find themselves in the majority and in control over oversight have an extremely long list of things to catch up on because House Republicans haven't done jack shit for the past two years, but now that the election is behind us we're starting to hear more specifics.
Representative Eliot Engel, who will become the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke to the Washington Post and said his committee will focus on Trump's conflicts of interests and his shady dealings with Saudi Arabia among other things.
Engel says he'll give the White House a chance to comply with his requests, but he'll subpoena their records if he has to.
“The White House needs to take us seriously, and if they don’t, we are going to make sure they take us seriously,” Engel said in an interview Wednesday. “I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt. … But if not, I intend to use every prerogative that I have to ensure oversight.” [...]
For a congressman who decried State Department stiff-arm tactics during the Benghazi investigation, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should demonstrate a stronger commitment to cooperating with legislative oversight, Engel said.
“I respect him as secretary of state. He needs to respect the Foreign Affairs Committee. Respect is a two-way street,” Engel said. “I won’t stand for delay and non-responsiveness to things that are clearly in our jurisdiction.”
One could hardly forget the shit-eating grin Mike Pompeo wore on his face during Hillary Clinton's 11-hour-long Benghazi hearing, but that doesn't mean he's going to cooperate in an acceptable manner.
Considering all the issues and scandals that Democrats on multiple committees will investigate in the coming months, I expect foreign policy is where they will see the greatest amount of push-back from the Trump White House. I expect we're going to hear the words "national security" so many times it will permanently ring in our ears as the White House asserts that Jared Kushner's conversations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman are off limits.
What did the White House know about the killing of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi and when did they knew it?
That's a 'matter of national security' I'm sure they'll say.
If Jared Kushner were ever going to leave the White House, I wouldn't be surprised if he departs shortly after Democrats are sworn in after the new year.