LAWYER UP

Dems Make Don Jr. and Epstein Investigation Targets Number One

Democrats are gearing up to investigate Trump family profiteering and JPMorgan Chase’s ties to Epstein.

Democrats have identified their key targets for investigation now that they control both levels of Congress after Tuesday’s blue wave.

A report by The New Yorker last year revealed that the Trump family will have enriched themselves by more than $3.4 billion by the end of Trump’s second term.

Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, who is poised to lead the House Oversight Committee, had a two-word warning for Republicans Tuesday: “Lawyer up.”

“The Trump crime family is the top of our investigative priorities,” Garcia said in an interview Wednesday.

In a new report from The New York Times, the newly blue Congress is expected to prioritize investigating the activities of the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and Epstein, among other targets.

Don Jr. allowed a Russian oligarch with Kremlin ties to pay for his wedding, and his venture capital firm has invested in several companies that have benefited from Trump policies.

Trump said in September that his eldest son had paid oligarch Umar Kremlev for his generous wedding gift, but Garcia said he will still plan to investigate independently.

“He said, ‘No, I’m paying him back, dad,’” Trump claimed. “So that was a while ago, so I heard he’s paid him.”

A spokesperson for Don. Jr told the Times, he “is a private citizen who holds no position in government and has broken no laws,” and he “has never sought to influence government policy or official decision making for the benefit of his personal business interests and has every right to pursue lawful and legitimate business and investment opportunities.”

JP Morgan’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will also be under congressional scrutiny, CNBC reports.

The investigation is said to focus on the role of Mary Erdoes, CEO of the bank’s Asset & Wealth Management business, in decisions made about the bank’s relationship with Epstein.

Following the reports, JPMorgan’s stock faced a sharp morning sell-off Thursday.

“The U.S. government had damning information ​about Epstein’s crimes that it failed to share ​with us or other banks. We regret any association we had with ‌him, ⁠but we did not help him commit his crimes,” a JPMorgan spokesperson said.

Play Video

Garcia also said he will continue the House’s investigation into the Trump Administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Garcia has pushed to subpoena Attorney General Todd Blanche to testify about the files’ release, a move Republicans have so far resisted.

Other targets on Garcia’s list are Trump’s crypto businesses, international property deals, well-timed stock trades, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Lauren HartleyBreaking News Intern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.