Key points
- President Donald Trump said in posts on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that he was ordering the Department of Justice to investigate Democrats, writing: "By copy of this statement, I am ordering the Department of Justice to look into this criminal act, immediately!"
- Trump accused Democrats of threatening senior officials, including Attorney General Todd Blanche, with impeachment, and Republican donors with imprisonment, calling the alleged conduct "extortion at the highest level". He provided no evidence for the claims, Al Jazeera reported.
- He singled out Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, alleging she planned to target young people who support Republican values. He did not say who sent the threatening letters he described, who received them, or what they said, CNBC reported.
- The Justice Department had not announced any investigation as of Saturday afternoon, CNBC reported.
- The posts came days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections. Democratic Representative Robert Garcia, who is expected to chair the House Oversight Committee, responded by posting "LAWYER UP", Al Jazeera reported.
President Donald Trump has ordered the US Department of Justice to investigate Democratic lawmakers, accusing them of threatening administration officials and Republican donors after the Democrats' victory in Tuesday's midterm elections. In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump described the alleged threats as a "criminal act" and "extortion at the highest level", and called for those responsible to be jailed — without providing evidence for any of the claims.
The key figures
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chambers of Congress won by Democrats in Tuesday's midterms | 2 (House and Senate) | Al Jazeera; Europe Unfolded |
| Posts in Trump's Saturday series on the subject | At least 2 | Times of India; The Statesman |
| Officials named by Trump as threatened | 2 (Attorney General Todd Blanche; Senator Elissa Slotkin) | The Statesman; Times of India |
| Investigations announced by the Justice Department | None as of Saturday afternoon | CNBC |
| Evidence provided by Trump for the alleged threats | None reported | Al Jazeera; CNBC |
The posts
Trump wrote that Democrats were "going around threatening a lot of people", including the attorney general, with impeachment and other punishments, even though — in his words — they had no grounds to do so, the Times of India reported. He also alleged that Republican donors were being threatened with imprisonment "just because they happen to be Republicans, or Republican supporters", calling it "weaponization and lawfare at another level". In the same series of posts he urged Republican donors and party members to report alleged threats to the Justice Department immediately, or to send the details directly to him, and wrote that the Democrats he accused "should go to jail for what they are doing". Read more: Democrats take the US Senate in midterm sweep, completing control of Congress
The context
The posts came days after the Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress from the Republicans in Tuesday's midterm elections, a result that gives the party the power to open investigations and to bring impeachment votes in the House. Impeachment is a power the Constitution gives to the House, and no evidence offered so far supports treating a vote on it as a crime, CNBC noted. The only Democrat Trump named was Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, whom he accused of planning to pursue young people who support Republican values; he gave no evidence for that claim either, the Times of India reported.
What happens next
Whether the Justice Department acts on the president's instruction remains to be seen: as of Saturday afternoon it had not announced any investigation, CNBC reported. The Democrats take control of Congress in January, when the new House will be able to set its own oversight agenda. Europe Unfolded will report any response from the Justice Department or from the Democrats named by the president as it is confirmed.
Updates & corrections
Published 8 November 2026.
Sources
- Al Jazeera, "Trump orders DOJ to investigate Democrats for 'threatening' people", 7 November 2026, on Trump's Truth Social posts on Saturday, the "criminal act" order, the alleged threats against officials and donors, the absence of evidence, the midterm context, and Representative Garcia's "LAWYER UP" response: aljazeera.com
- The Statesman, "Trump orders DOJ probe into Democrats over alleged threats to Republican donors", 8 November 2026, on the series of Truth Social posts, the order to the Justice Department, Attorney General Todd Blanche being named among those threatened, and the call for donors to report threats: thestatesman.com
- Times of India, "'Extortion at the highest level': Trump directs DOJ to investigate Democratic lawmakers", 8 November 2026, on the wording of the posts, the "extortion at the highest level" description, the singling out of Senator Elissa Slotkin, and the second post calling for imprisonment: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- CNBC, via Workers Rights News, "Trump orders his DOJ to investigate Democrats for 'extortion.' He named one senator and offered no evidence.", 7 November 2026, on the Justice Department having announced no investigation as of Saturday afternoon, the absence of evidence, and impeachment being a constitutional power of the House: workersrights.news
- The Express Tribune (Anadolu Agency), "Trump accuses Democrats of threatening Republicans after midterm win", 8 November 2026, on the Saturday posts, the alleged threatening letters, and the president calling on the Justice Department to investigate immediately: tribune.com.pk
- India TV, "'These sleazebags should go to jail': Trump asks DOJ to investigate Democratic lawmakers", 8 November 2026, on the second Truth Social post urging donors to report alleged threats and the call for imprisonment: indiatvnews.com