Robert Garcia, who is projected to win California’s 42nd Congressional District, according to NBC News, will make history again in January when he becomes chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. And the investigative committee already has four plans to go after the Trump administration, Garcia announced Wednesday.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, Garcia said he plans to take on “the Trump Crime Family, corporate corruption, DHS and ICE abuses, and the cover-up of the Epstein files,” following a two-word warning: “Lawyer up.”
During a news conference held in Huntington Beach on Wednesday, the former Long Beach mayor said the Oversight Committee will be “focused like a laser” as it investigates four issues involving the Trump administration: the president’s family members, immigration enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), corporate corruption and Jeffrey Epstein.
Specifically mentioning the president’s children, the incoming Oversight Committee chair said “the amount of grift and corruption” by the family has been “unprecedented.”
“You have Don Jr., whose wedding is being paid for by a Russian oligarch. You have Jared Kushner, who got $2 billion from the Saudis when he left the White House,” Garcia said, suggesting they could be among those subpoenaed as part of the investigations.
As an immigrant himself, Garcia also expressed his repudiation of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, which have rattled Southern California.
Citing a report of “ICE kidnapping” in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the 48-year-old Peru native described tactics used by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security as “inhumane” and “wrong.”
“These are human beings. and whether they’re here as immigrants, some of who have been just here working for years,” Garcia said. “And we know even in some cases, American citizens have been shot and murdered by ICE agents and DHS agents. That is not acceptable. And there has been accountability for that.”
Among officials involved in ICE operations, Garcia singled out former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, her aide Corey Lewandowski and Stephen Miller, who is widely viewed as the architect of Trump’s immigration policies.
CA – House 42
Projected Winner
Garcia also said the committee will investigate corporate corruption, alleging that CEOs and corporations are making “record profits” while everyday Americans are struggling.
The final issue Garcia plans to investigate is one he championed over the past two years without much progress: Jeffrey Epstein. Amid an avalanche of news, the Epstein scandal began to fade from headlines, but Garcia pledged to bring it back, saying, “If you abuse children, you will be held accountable by the Oversight Committee.”
Garcia, who made history as the first immigrant LGBTQ member of the House of Representatives, will make history again when he becomes the first LGBTQ immigrant to chair the Oversight Committee.
In response to the Democratic Party’s sweeping victories and looming threats of investigations, the president sent mixed messages Wednesday, suggesting he would work across the aisle while emphasizing his presidential veto power.
In a phone interview with POLITICO, the president said he was willing to work with Democrats to “make sure things go well for our country.”
“I’d consider doing whatever I think is appropriate and good for the country,” he told POLITICO when asked about working with Democrats on immigration issues.
Trump also said he would not spend the next two years simply vetoing Democratic legislation, in contrast with a social media post in which he shared an image of a red hat bearing the word “veto.“
Garcia, whose district will now include conservative-led Huntington Beach, declared that the coastal community will no longer be a “madness city.”
Among the city’s recent developments, Huntington Beach declared itself a non-sanctuary city, pledging to cooperate with federal immigration agents despite California’s restrictions on local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The city also banned LGBTQ+ Pride flags on city property.
“It’s clear the city voted for change,” Garcia said. “We’re looking forward to delivering that change, focusing on the issues that people here care about: cultural protection, investment in infrastructure, treating people with kindness and good government — and bringing back federal dollars for investment, so we can fund our libraries, our streets and our communities.”