Congressional Democrats are bracing for political and legal fallout after James Comey’s indictment amid signs that Donald Trump is preparing to escalate his attacks on opponents.
In the days since the former FBI director was charged with obstructing a congressional investigation and making false statements, the president has urged the prosecutions of Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James, labeling Schiff “Shifty” and accusing both him and James of mortgage fraud.
Now some Democrats, fearing further scrutiny, are reviewing their own financial records to avoid becoming new targets of Trump’s Justice Department, Axios reported.
“Many are... going through mortgages, tax returns, etc.,” one senior House Democrat told Axios, citing private conversations between members.
“I’ve explored liability insurance,” another House Democrat said. “And so have other members [in case] they come after us legally.”
Rep. Jared Huffman told the site that he thinks some fellow House Democrats “are going to be, absolutely, targets for this retribution purge.”
He said the tactical personal finance checks are “wise of certain members who are, you know, more prominent targets.”
Comey, who was indicted Thursday, has denied wrongdoing and said he has “known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump.”
“No one is safe,” Rep. Greg Landsman warned.
“Obviously, I think there is a worry that... this administration is going to dive into your stuff and kind of trump up some bogus charge just because you were critical of the president,” Rep. Gil Cisneros told Axios.
In a Truth Social post earlier this month, Trump moaned that “nothing is being done” to prosecute Comey, Schiff, and James, urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to get a move on. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” he ranted.
The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, resigned after failing to bring indictments against Comey and James. His replacement, Lindsey Halligan, the president’s former personal lawyer who lacks prosecutorial experience, then managed to secure an indictment against Comey.
Rep. LaMonica McIver said she has also been caught in the crosshairs of Trump’s revamped Justice Department. The New Jersey Democrat was indicted in June for allegedly assaulting an ICE officer in May. She has denied the charges and, like Comey, has accused the DOJ of a political prosecution.
“I’ve been having these conversations since I’ve kind of gotten to Congress, months ago... about how you protect yourself,” she told Axios on Monday.
“I think we’re all just bracing for turbulence here,” Huffman added.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast: “The Trump Administration will continue to deliver the truth to the American people and restore integrity to our justice system. It is the ultimate hypocrisy to accuse President Trump of what Joe Biden actively did throughout his presidency: engaging in lawfare against his political opponents. The indictment against Comey speaks for itself, and the Trump Administration looks forward to fair proceedings in the courts.”
