Politics
Congress Launches Investigations into Trump Era and Tech Billionaires Amid Midterm Losses
After the Republican Party’s loss in the midterm elections, Democratic lawmakers have announced a series of congressional investigations into activities during the Trump administration. California Representative Robert Garcia, who is expected to chair the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has outlined four main areas of inquiry: the Trump family’s business dealings, including cryptocurrency ventures linked to Pakistan; corporate corruption and political kickbacks; alleged abuses by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Garcia warned that the Trump family would be held accountable for what he called the “largest presidential grift in history” and said he would examine the family’s real estate and overseas business interests, including Jared Kushner’s investments. He also indicated that family members and senior administration officials such as Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski should expect questions.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who spent at least $445 million supporting Republican candidates and committees during the midterms, is also under scrutiny. Musk’s donations helped 43 Republican House candidates, only three of whom won, and six of the seven Republican Senate candidates he supported lost, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Musk’s companies—Tesla, SpaceX, xAI and others—could face investigations over federal contracts, subsidies and regulatory decisions. Musk’s AI system, Grok, has been mentioned in reports about its use in planning an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, raising questions about private technology in military and national‑security operations.
In the Senate, Democratic leaders are preparing inquiries as well. Elizabeth Warren is expected to chair the Banking Committee, where she may focus on the Trump family’s cryptocurrency interests, the administration’s efforts to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, financial regulators’ treatment of politically connected businesses, and the relationship between major banks and the White House. Other incoming committee chairs, including Senator Ron Wyden on Finance and Senator Richard Blumenthal on the Investigations subcommittee, are reportedly preparing their own investigations. Blumenthal has already requested records from technology companies and federal regulators concerning corporate contributions to Trump’s proposed White House ballroom and possible connections with favorable government treatment.
Companies likely to be examined include Apple, Meta, Google, Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, BlackRock, Lockheed Martin, Palantir and Cisco. Nvidia and Apple reportedly contributed $25 million each to the project, while Google/Alphabet is said to have contributed $22 million and Microsoft $10 million.
The investigations come after the midterm elections, which Democrats described as an “ass‑whupping” of the Republican Party. The Trump administration’s legacy is now the subject of a broad congressional inquiry, with no indication that the former president can avoid scrutiny.