House Republican leaders are equipping their committee chairmen with a strategy for blunting the wave of investigations Democrats are expected to launch once they take control of the chamber in the new Congress.
In a letter sent Thursday to current House committee chairs, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., urged them to "maximize our remaining days in power to prepare for what is coming" and laid out instructions for bracing against the anticipated probes. Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the letter from a source.
"House Democrats have signaled they intend to impeach President Trump, but they will not stop there. They will weaponize every single gavel to appease their radical base," Scalise wrote. "They will use their oversight authorities to harass the President, his family, cabinet officials, and they will seek to destroy our allies. You all will be a key line of defense in this fight."
The guidance rests on three tasks: "taking inventory" of the investigative efforts Democrats have mounted or are likely to mount while in the minority, determining who sits on their target list, and reviewing how recent Supreme Court rulings and a Justice Department memo on executive privilege could shape future inquiries.
Potential targets span "administration officials, programs and authorities, and external allies, including conservative partners and industry leaders," Scalise wrote, adding that his staff would meet with the relevant committees and others to continue preparations.
"Please let me know if there are any additional tools or support you need from me as you undertake this important effort," he wrote. "I have full confidence that we will be effective in our efforts to fight back as a team."
Democrats have signaled they intend a sweeping oversight agenda aimed at Trump's Cabinet, family, businesses and allies as soon as they assume power next year. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the likely next chairman of the House Oversight Committee, issued a terse statement Tuesday night after Democrats were projected to win the chamber: "Lawyer up."
In announcing the statement, the committee said that once Garcia becomes chairman he will pursue "the Trump Crime Family, corporate corruption, DHS and ICE abuses, and the cover-up of the Epstein files." Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee have likewise signaled plans to investigate Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
Responding to Scalise's letter, a spokeswoman for House Judiciary Committee Democrats told Fox News Digital: "Sounds like Rep. Scalise is asking his fellow Republicans to compile a list of all the corruption, lawlessness, and abuse they've been protecting from congressional oversight. But the people have spoken, and the cover-up expires with the Republican majority. The days of invertebrate congressional submission are over."
The letter arrived a day after Scalise launched his bid to become House minority leader in the new Congress, a contest in which he faces House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Fox News Digital reached out to Democrats on the House Oversight Committee for comment.
