White House warns of criminal inquiries into House Democrats who investigate Trump

WASHINGTON — The White House's top lawyer has warned House Democrats that their planned investigations into President Donald Trump could expose them to criminal action, a threat that serves as an early sign of how combative the administration intends to be once Democrats take control of the House in January.

White House counsel Will Scharf raised the possibility of criminal inquiries into Democratic lawmakers in a letter Monday to Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who is expected to lead the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next year.

Scharf argued that Democrats' public promises to investigate and subpoena Trump administration officials "may cross the line into blatant criminality" and could amount to an illegal abuse of power if they do not identify "a legitimate" legislative purpose for their investigations.

He added that "issuing unlawful subpoenas with the intention of depriving citizens of their constitutional rights and privileges may warrant further investigation."

—Los Angeles Times

Another bill to release Epstein files headed to House floor

WASHINGTON — As Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., enters his final weeks in Congress, he is one step closer to another vote on legislation related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A discharge petition led by Massie aimed at extracting more files from the Justice Department has now received enough support to force a vote on the House floor.

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., was the decisive 218th signature on the discharge petition, a procedural tool allowing rank-and-file House members to register their support for a piece of legislation and circumvent leadership to force a vote. Massie and other supporters of the effort say the bill is a bid for transparency.

Earlier this week, Massie said his pitch to his colleagues was simple. “They could be a hero if they sign it,” he said, as he chased down the final two signatures as the House returned from recess on Monday. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., signed just before Garamendi.

—CQ-Roll Call

Trump administration denies $112M in Medicaid payments to Minnesota

President Donald Trump’s administration has taken steps to deny more than $112 million in Medicaid money from Minnesota after delaying reimbursements on more than half a billion in payments so far this year, state officials said this week.

The disallowance for July through September could mean Minnesota will have to find a way to pay for programs deemed a high risk for fraud — like those that support home care assistance providers and assistance for children with autism.

Those programs have seen significant levels of fraud. Federal prosecutors speculate Minnesota Medicaid fraud in 14 high-risk programs since 2018 could run into hundreds of millions, if not billions, and have charged dozens in connection to allegations.

The state already shut down one of those programs altogether in October 2025 and ordered third-party audits. As part of demands for further “corrective action,” Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Mehmet Oz started deferring payments to Minnesota earlier this year.

—Pioneer Press

School bomb hoaxes add to disruption in Europe after flights

Thousands of schools in Europe were targeted by bomb threats, leading to evacuations and adding to the recent disruption across the continent that grounded planes and saw supermarket fridges hacked.

In Italy, 6,000 schools received emailed bomb alerts, according to the Education Ministry, with a sizable number of them sending kids home. Hundreds more in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland got similar warnings. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni chaired an emergency government meeting Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

While the authorities across all three countries said the threats did not appear credible, there’s a widening picture of disorder in Europe with governments trying to figure out the origins and motives. Indeed, the wave of school hoaxes appears to be the latest in a string of coordinated attacks aimed at destabilizing life in the continent.

Last Friday, sporadic bomb threats disrupted multiple flights and media outlets, capping a week that put the aviation industry on alert. Hungary scrambled fighter jets three times in one day because of threats, while in France, there were four bomb threats against aircraft crossing the country’s airspace.

—Bloomberg News