US House of Representatives launch broad Trump corruption inquiry

Muscat: The US House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee announced a broad investigation into the alleged obstruction of justice, public corruption, and other abuses of power by President Trump, his associates, and members of his Administration.

Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler said, "Over the last several years, President Trump has evaded accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical, and constitutional rules and norms."

"Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress and a core function of the House Judiciary Committee," he added. "We have seen the damage done to our democratic institutions in the two years that the Congress refused to conduct responsible oversight. Congress must provide a check on abuses of power. "

In its first step, the committee served document requests to 81 agencies, entities, and individuals believed to have information relevant to their investigation. A list of individuals served the document requests include Trump's sons Donald Jr. and Eric, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, the Department of Justice, and the Trump Foundation among many others.

Nadler added, "Equally, we must protect and respect the work of Special Counsel Mueller, but we cannot rely on others to do the investigative work for us. Our work is even more urgent after senior Justice Department officials have suggested that they may conceal the work of the Special Counsel’s investigation from the public."

The investigation will cover three main areas including Obstruction of Justice, Public Corruption, and Abuses of Power. According to Nadler, "We have sent these document requests in order to begin building the public record. The Special Counsel’s office and the Southern District of New York are aware that we are taking these steps.

"We will act quickly to gather this information, assess the evidence, and follow the facts where they lead with full transparency with the American people," he explained. "This is a critical time for our nation, and we have a responsibility to investigate these matters and hold hearings for the public to have all the facts. That is exactly what we intend to do.”