A federal prosecutor has sent Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) a formal demand letter requiring that he preserve potential evidence in connection with threats the senator allegedly made against citizens for associating with President Donald Trump.
Blumenthal appears poised to chair the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations when Democrats take over Congress in January 2027. Democrats have said they intend to open multiple investigations into the Trump administration.
Aaron Reitz, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, posted the letter, dated Nov. 11, on X, adding that Blumenthal and his allies “think they can intimidate Americans for their constitutionally protected associations [with] President Trump.”
“Congress is not a weapon to be wielded against the American people,” he wrote. “I’m taking the first step to stop this abuse of power.”
Citing the federal criminal statutes that prohibit conspiracies to deprive citizens of rights, Reitz ordered Blumenthal, along with his staff, consultants, and campaign personnel, to preserve all documents, communications, and records related to what he described as efforts to intimidate or suppress Americans for their constitutionally protected associations with the president. He directed Blumenthal to confirm receipt of the letter and the steps taken to preserve the materials by Nov. 18. He also warned that failure to do so could result in sanctions or other legal consequences.
Reitz cited Blumenthal’s Oct. 21 statement in which the lawmaker said he was demanding “answers from more than a dozen previously undisclosed donors to the White House ballroom” following a media report claiming that $330 million was privately generated for the project.
The project calls for a roughly 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Demolition of the East Wing began in October 2025 after Trump said that that wing was too small and in poor condition. He has said the project is expected to cost about $400 million and will be funded entirely by private donors.
In his statement, Blumenthal said he sent letters to more than a dozen previously undisclosed ballroom donors demanding answers about how the gifts were solicited, why some chose anonymity, and whether they had received favorable treatment such as contracts or regulatory decisions. He framed the inquiry around potential conflicts of interest, and his office has signaled that voluntary cooperation is expected before he takes the gavel in January—with subpoenas the implied next step if it isn’t forthcoming.
On Reitz’s X post thread, acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter replied that the First Amendment “expressly prohibits Congress from infringing the speech and association rights of Americans.”
“DOJ will defend against threats to those rights, period,” he added.
About 3 1/2 hours later, Blumenthal posted on X that the Trump administration is “so afraid of transparency [and] oversight that they are weaponizing the Department of Justice to baselessly target Congress in direct violation of the Constitution.”
Blumenthal also sent a letter himself to Reitz on Nov. 11, directing him to preserve all records and correspondence, including communications with the White House or senior Justice Department officials, related to the decision to draft and send his letter. He directed Reitz to confirm receipt of the letter and the steps taken to preserve the materials by 6 p.m. on Nov. 12 and stated that he “will not be intimidated.”
The White House said on Nov. 9 that potential Democrat-led congressional investigations looking into the Trump administration or its officials may violate the law.
Writing to Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) in a Nov. 9 letter, White House counsel Will Scharf said that Congress must “identify a legitimate legislative purpose underlying its investigative acts” and that “failure to do so … represents a clear abuse of power and an affront to our constitutional system of government and to the rule of law.”
Scharf said that “recent public statements” by Democratic legislators indicate that they are allegedly trying to “abuse the legislative process to intimidate and to interfere with the lawful functioning of government,” adding that Garcia and other Democratic lawmakers have signaled that they would issue subpoenas to threaten, harass, or deter the Trump administration from governing.
Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
