United States President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Democratic Party leaders over alleged threats to impeach public officials and target political opponents.
Trump announced the directive in a social media post on Saturday but did not provide evidence to support his allegations.
“I am going to order the Department of Justice to investigate this criminal act immediately!” he wrote.
The US President accused Democrats of planning to use their newly secured congressional majority to launch investigations against Republicans and remove some officials from office.
He alleged that Democratic leaders had threatened to remove several individuals, including the US Attorney General, despite having no grounds for such action.
“This is extortion at the highest level and they should be held accountable for it,” Trump said.
Trump also claimed that some Republican donors had been threatened with imprisonment and other forms of punishment.
“Jail should be for those who extort and Republicans need to be ready, quickly! Democratic political leaders have sent threatening letters to a lot of people, all of them innocent,” he added.
The President specifically accused Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan of threatening to target young people who support Republican values.
The development comes after Democrats recorded major victories in Tuesday’s midterm elections, securing control of both chambers of Congress.
The party’s new majority, which takes effect in January, could pave the way for congressional investigations into members of the Trump administration and other public officials.
Some of the issues likely to attract scrutiny include allegations of wealth accumulation by members of the Trump family, corruption claims, the administration’s immigration policies and its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Democratic lawmakers have also discussed possible investigations and impeachment proceedings involving officials in the administration.
However, Trump has described the proposed actions as politically motivated attacks and urged Republicans to prepare for what he considers an attempt to weaponise the justice system against his allies.
