Attorney General Todd Blanche is warning Democrats that their plans to investigate the Trump administration could cross a legal line, escalating a confrontation over congressional oversight days after Democrats’ election gains.

In a CNN interview Sunday, Blanche described statements by Democratic lawmakers as potentially criminal, saying they had threatened donors and young people considering work for conservative institutions or President Donald Trump’s administration. His comments followed Trump’s demands on Saturday that Democrats he called “extortionists” be jailed.

Trump also urged Americans to report Democratic “threats” to the Justice Department, adding that they could send them directly to him.

Among the statements drawing Republican criticism was a warning from Rep. Robert Garcia, the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee, that administration officials should “LAWYER UP.” Blanche responded on Fox News by saying, “Stephen Miller has a lawyer. It’s me,” referring to Trump’s chief of staff.

Republicans have also focused on remarks by Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan at the University of Chicago. Slotkin said congressional investigations should examine not only the president but also people who enabled him, and should deter young people from participating in conduct that could bring them “a ton of problems.”

Trump characterized the remarks as a threat to young Republicans broadly. Slotkin’s comments, however, addressed the potential consequences of working for the administration, not all young people who hold Republican views.

The dispute revives earlier clashes between the administration and the two lawmakers. In 2025, then-interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin asked Garcia to clarify a remark about bringing “actual weapons to this bar fight,” which Garcia defended as forceful political opposition.

Slotkin was among six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a 2025 video reminding service members that they must refuse illegal orders. The FBI investigated, but a Washington grand jury declined to indict Slotkin and Sen. Mark Kelly in February 2026.

Blanche has framed his defense of administration officials as part of his constitutional role. The Constitution does not mention the attorney general; Congress created the office in the Judiciary Act of 1789. A Justice Department regulation permits representation of federal employees in congressional proceedings under specified conditions, including that the conduct at issue fell within their official duties and that representation serves the interests of the United States.

The department’s approach has also drawn criticism from within the courts. Last week, Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui dismissed charges against two former FBI officials accused of lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop, calling the case an example of “weaponization” and saying it could discourage people from joining the bureau.