California congressman says party will target law firms, companies, and campuses tied to Trump administration if Democrats regain House majority.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California said Monday that House Democrats intend to pursue investigations of private citizens and organizations tied to President Donald Trump’s administration once they retake the majority.

Speaking on CNN News Central with host Kate Bolduan, Swalwell responded to last week’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction. He predicted Democrats would gain control of the House in the 2026 midterms and said their agenda would include aggressive oversight.

“Well, first, we’re making it clear that we’re going into the majority a year from now,” Swalwell told Bolduan. “We have every intention to do that, and so we will bring oversight, accountability, we will subpoena the Department of Justice, but also private actors who have done these drug deals with the administration, college campuses, entertainment companies, law firms and so accountability is coming.”

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Swalwell added that he hoped such measures would deter outside groups from working with the Trump administration. “It’s all coming out … I hope that deters people from doing more of these deals, these one-offs with the president,” he said. He also suggested the charges against Comey were politically motivated. “This happened when Donald Trump was president … why didn’t you indict him then? The fact that he’s indicting him now just makes it look even more politically motivated, and so I’m pretty confident that this will either be dismissed or Mr. Comey will be acquitted by a jury of his peers.”

The remarks follow a series of high-profile settlements and legal battles involving Trump. CBS settled a $10 billion lawsuit over its editing of a 2024 interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris. ABC paid Trump $15 million to resolve a defamation suit over comments made by host George Stephanopoulos during a March 2024 broadcast.

Separately, multiple firms reached agreements with the Trump administration after orders restricted attorneys’ access to classified materials. In 2022, Kirkland and Ellis ousted former Solicitor General Paul Clement and others who represented an NRA-backed Second Amendment case, after they refused to withdraw from gun litigation.

Swalwell’s comments underscore a widening partisan divide, with Democrats openly signaling plans to extend congressional scrutiny beyond government officials to private citizens and institutions aligned with Trump.