Democrats vow to impeach Trump officials and investigate Republican donors

{"text":[[{"start":8.56,"text":"Democrats have vowed to aggressively investigate corporate graft and pursue potential impeachments of Trump administration officials following the party’s sweeping midterm victories."}],[{"start":18.88,"text":"Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, said there was “real investigative work” to be done into Elon Musk’s purge of federal employees, donations made by businesses to Donald Trump’s ballroom and Big Oil’s access to resources in Venezuela."}],[{"start":35.84,"text":"“The days of us not fighting back are over,” Garcia told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “Republicans want to play games, they want to play rough and tumble. They’re coming in with all of their arsenal. We’ve got to do the same thing as Democrats.”"}],[{"start":50.4,"text":"“There are so many allegations and reports of real pay to play, whether it’s the pardons that have gone out to billionaires and donors, whether it’s been companies that have been giving to the ballroom — in exchange for what? We need to find out.”"}],[{"start":62.8,"text":"The remarks come as Democrats prepare to take control of both chambers of Congress following an electoral rout of Republicans in midterm elections on Tuesday in a stinging rebuke to Trump."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":74.289,"text":"The issue of corruption under the Trump administration has been thrown into the spotlight in recent days following allegations by former health department adviser Calley Means, who accused Trump aides of stymying reforms in order to placate corporate donors, triggering outrage among some Republicans."}],[{"start":91.483,"text":"Democrats are also weighing impeachment proceedings against some of Trump’s lieutenants. Hakeem Jeffries, who is poised to become Speaker of the House, said he expected “incredibly strong support” within the party for the impeachment of defence secretary Pete Hegseth."}],[{"start":106.931,"text":"“[Hegseth] has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe,” Jeffries told ABC’s This Week on Sunday."}],[{"start":107.431,"text":"“Pete Hegseth has got to go.”"}],[{"start":124.96,"text":"Outgoing Republican congressman Thomas Massie has said he plans to force a vote impeaching Hegseth in the coming week, though Democrats will not have a majority in the chamber until January."}],[{"start":133.84,"text":"Veteran socialist Vermont senator Bernie Sanders told CNN on Sunday he was “absolutely open” to impeaching health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a measure already floated by incoming South Carolina senator Annie Andrews."}],[{"start":148.287,"text":"Two Democratic legislators, Hank Johnson and Deborah Ross, also this week voiced support for impeaching attorney-general Todd Blanche."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":156.4,"text":"Republicans have hit back against Democrats’ threats, accusing the party of a witch-hunt. Trump on Friday ordered a Department of Justice probe into Democrats over the investigation threats, accusing them of “extortion at the highest level”."}],[{"start":171.52,"text":"“They’re already talking about investigations and impeachments with no basis, no facts,” Blanche told CNN on Sunday, adding that there “could be” grounds for criminal investigation into some Democrats."}],[{"start":182.223,"text":"“What we’ve seen over the past several days, and even over the past several weeks, are outright threats, many by elected members of Congress and some senators, against anybody that’s conservative and anybody that happens to be a Republican,” said Blanche."}],[{"start":196.08,"text":"“They’ve threatened donors, they’ve threatened individuals who are in college and might want to work for conservative institutions, or for a conservative government, or for President Trump — and that is extremely troubling.”"}],[{"start":207.248,"text":"Some Democrats have expressed reservations about getting bogged down in investigations for the remainder of Trump’s term, arguing the party should be focused on implementing the policies it campaigned on."}],[{"start":217.28,"text":"“The bigger priority for me and I think for most people in America, especially people living pay cheque to pay cheque, is: please help us with the cost of living,” said Adam Hamilton, elected as the first Democratic senator from Kansas since the Depression, on NBC’s Meet the Press."}],[{"start":233.2,"text":"“If I spent the next two years, my first two years in the Senate, in investigations, I’d be deeply disappointed.”"}],[{"start":242.32,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1794193048_3508.mp3"}