These 5 House Democratic Chairs Will Likely Make Trump Miserable In 2019

Trump
Image license CC SA 2.0 by Gage Skidmore via Flickr

If President Donald Trump thought 2018 was a tough year politically, several Democrats are standing in line to make 2019 an even tougher year for him. And it’s likely to begin Thursday when Democrats retake the House Thursday.

They are all set to take a fine-toothed comb to his administration, subpoena members of his cabinet and put his personal finances, associates and business interests under the microscope, CNN reports.

While Trump is frequently bellicose on Twitter, having already attacked some of the incoming House chairs and regularly assailed Nancy Pelosi, several of the new members have subpoena power and are ready to use it.

“If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigate us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!” Trump tweeted right after the midterm elections in the fall.

Fortunately, as CNN’s Lauren Fox notes, there are five new Democratic House members want to “play that game,” Raw Story reports.

They are:

Richard Neal (D-Mass.)

Neal and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Image license CC Attribution 2.0 by Elizabeth for MA via Wikimedia Commons

As the incoming chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Neal has the authority to subpoena the president’s tax returns. Trump has stubbornly guarded them but Fox noted Neal is indeed expected to issue a subpoena. And one source close to Neal told CNN that the chairman is prepared to ask the Treasury Department for those returns.

“You can expect a protracted legal battle between the House of Representatives and the president of the United States when it comes to something Trump hasn’t wanted to turn over before,” Fox said. “He’s not the only person that’s going to be looking into the president’s finances.”

Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)

Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is set to chair the House Financial Services Committee. Image license Attribution 2.0 by Elvert Barnes via Wikimedia Commons

Waters has been pushing for Trump’s impeachment since 2017, and she’s one of his most vocal critics. As leader of the House Financial Services Committee, she’ll undoubtedly target his finances and the Trump Organization. And Trump’s given her a lot of grist for her mill, calling her “an extremely low IQ person,” which she understandably considered a racist attack.

And Trump may soon regret that comment because Waters is likely to continue pushing for his impeachment Fox added.

“She’s tangled with President Trump in the past,” Fox said, adding that she is “beloved” by her fellow Democrats. “She has said in the past that she thinks President Trump should be impeached, so she is going to be somebody at the forefront of this fight to do oversight into the Trump administration.”

Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)

Cummings (D-Md.) is set to become the chair of the House Oversight Committee. Image license Attribution 2.0 by AFGE via Flickr

Cummings, as the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee, has “the most jurisdiction” to investigate Trump, Fox said.

“His committee can look into everything from immigration to security clearances on Capitol Hill or at the White House,” she told CNN anchor Pamela Brown. “He told me that he expects to bring in a wide variety of cabinet secretaries before his committee, including Wilbur Ross,” whom she noted has been criticized for adding citizenship questions to the U.S. Census.

Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)

Schiff will chair the House Intelligence Committee. Image license CC SA 2.0 by Louise Palanker via Flickr

Schiff has been a frequent target of Trump’s Twitter attacks, especially since he was the top Democrat in the Republican-led House Russia Investigation in 2017 and 2018. A regular face on television, Schiff, who will chair the House Intelligence Committee, continually revealed the latest news on Trump’s Russia Connection. That led Trump to brand him with nicknames like “Sleazy Adam Schiff,” “Liddle Adam Schiff,” and as the tweet below shows, “Little Adam Schitt.”

Trump may come to rue that because Schiff still has more questions about Russia.

“He thinks Republicans haven’t answered enough questions,” Fox said.

Schiff, she noted, isn’t satisfied with this and wants to further question Michael Flynn, Trump’s former National Security Adviser.

Jerry Nadler (D-NY.)

Nadler will chair the House Judiciary Committee. Image license Attribution 2.0 by Jerry Nadler via Flickr

Trump has a long history with Nadler, stretching all the way back to the 1980s when the two clashed over Manhattan real estate issues. In his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, Trump characterized Nadler as “one of the most egregious hacks in contemporary politics.”

Well now that “egregious hack” will chair the House Judiciary Committee. Fox said Nadler’s biggest concerns are protecting Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s Russia ties.

“His sole focus is going to be protecting the Mueller investigation,” she said. “He is the person who is going to be leading any impeachment effort.”

So it appears that 2019 is going to be a rocky year for the president. Will more Trump Twitter meltdowns be far behind? You can watch the video below for more information.

 

Featured image license CC SA 2.0 by Gage Skidmore via Flickr