Democrats will enter January controlling the House and Senate, armed with subpoena power to investigate President Donald Trump and his administration. Committee gavels will allow them to call hearings, conduct depositions and compel witnesses to provide testimony and documents.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries recently told MS NOW that his party would “hold the crooks accountable” if it secured a congressional majority. Now that Democrats have won control, the looming question is where they will begin.

Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees have spent months laying the foundation for investigations involving Trump’s family, White House officials, projects reshaping Washington and alleged misconduct by figures inside and outside the administration. Those efforts are now expected to accelerate.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and its likely next chairman, said oversight efforts will “expand next Congress.” He added, “We already have a strong team of investigators and experienced counsel engaged in this work, and that capacity will expand significantly in the Majority.”

Rep. Robert Garcia offered a blunter warning Tuesday evening as Democrats won control of the House. The California Democrat, expected to lead the House Oversight Committee next year, told people in Trump’s orbit: “Lawyer up.”

A source familiar with House Democrats’ plans told MS NOW to expect a “flurry” of letters in the coming weeks. Lawmakers are expected to revisit unanswered questions while signaling that private individuals and companies could also face scrutiny.

One likely target is Jared Kushner, Trump’s son in law, whose joint roles as a White House peace envoy and private businessman have drawn attention from House Judiciary Democrats. They have widened their investigation to examine a luxury resort project he wants to build in Albania.

Raskin has also called for Kushner to recuse himself from negotiations involving Ukraine and the Middle East. Kushner has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

House Oversight Democrats have expanded a separate inquiry into allegations involving Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former United States ambassador to Greece and former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr. The allegations claim she sought money from a Trump donor in exchange for access to the administration.

Trump’s own finances are also expected to receive extensive attention. His annual financial disclosure, filed in June and spanning 1,000 pages, showed that his business ventures generated more than $2 billion in revenue during 2025.

That total included more than $500 million Trump reported earning from World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency company he founded with his sons before returning to office. A House Democrat has already opened an inquiry into a reported investment connected to a top United Arab Emirates official.

Democrats are expected to pursue additional inquiries into Trump’s finances as their investigative authority grows. Trump told CNBC in July that there was “nothing illegal” about the cryptocurrency venture.

The new majority will also confront whether to pursue enforcement actions against Trump or members of his inner circle. House Democratic leaders have neither ruled out impeachment nor publicly embraced it after twice impeaching Trump over actions connected to his first term.

Some Democrats have expressed openness to impeachment proceedings against people around Trump, particularly War Secretary Pete Hegseth. The House is already scheduled to face an impeachment vote involving Hegseth when lawmakers return for their lame duck session.

Jeffries repeatedly targeted Hegseth during campaign appearances before Election Day. He told crowds that if Democrats captured the majority, “one of the first things that we do is to run Pete Hegseth out of town.”

Raskin has argued that even the threat of impeachment could prompt personnel changes at the White House. Referring to Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi, he said, “There were impeachment resolutions that either had just been filed or were about to be filed with respect to Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi.”

Democrats are also poised to continue investigating the Epstein files and the administration’s handling of their release. House Oversight Democrats have called for Attorney General Todd Blanche to testify and will soon possess the authority to subpoena him.

The committee previously announced a review of the decision to transfer Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to a lower security prison after she met with Blanche. Other panels led by Democrats are likely to continue inquiries into Trump’s makeover of the nation’s Capitol.

Those projects include destroying the East Wing to build a ballroom, revamping the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, planning a Memorial Arch near Arlington National Cemetery and redesigning a public golf course. The agenda reaches well beyond Trump’s immediate circle.

Democrats could still face resistance despite their new authority. During Trump’s first term, the White House routinely attempted to block Democratic investigations.

An August memorandum from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel could further complicate the coming inquiries by discouraging private individuals from sharing information voluntarily. The memorandum concluded that executive privilege can cover presidential communications with private advisers outside the administration.