Swalwell vows oversight of private Trump allies
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D‑Calif.) told CNN he plans to use congressional power, including subpoenas, to investigate private actors who have done business with President Donald Trump if Democrats retake the House in 2026. In the interview (reported Monday), Swalwell named targets such as the Department of Justice and private entities — college campuses, entertainment companies and law firms — and tied his comments to skepticism about the timing of the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.
Politics
Legal
🔍 Key Facts
- Rep. Eric Swalwell said in a CNN interview (reported Monday) that Democrats expect to retake the House in 2026 and 'will bring oversight, accountability' including subpoenas.
- Swalwell explicitly mentioned subpoenas of the Department of Justice and 'private actors who have done these drug deals with the administration' — specifying college campuses, entertainment companies and law firms.
- He criticized the timing of James Comey’s recent indictment and suggested the charges look politically motivated, saying he expects the case may be dismissed or result in acquittal.
📍 Contextual Background
- YouTube and its parent company Alphabet agreed to pay a total of $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald J. Trump over the temporary suspension of his YouTube account after the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack.
- In January 2025, Meta paid $25 million to Donald Trump to settle his lawsuit over Facebook's and Instagram's suspensions of Trump's accounts after January 6, 2021.
- X (formerly Twitter) paid $10 million to settle a lawsuit by Donald Trump over suspensions related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.
- U.S. federal law Section 230 provides online platforms with broad legal protections that allow them to make content-moderation decisions without being held liable for those decisions.
- Debarment is a federal administrative process that can render an entity ineligible to receive federal grants.
- Corporate and individual donors have pledged nearly $200 million to cover construction costs for the planned White House State Ballroom; donors named in reports include Google, R.J. Reynolds, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Palantir, and NextEra Energy.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executes search warrants at residences and family homes as part of criminal investigations.