Dems plan probes into companies, colleges that cooperated with Trump

"Democrats want to know how and why major institutions - including billionaires, major law firms and universities - chose to cooperate with the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the conversations. That could include everything from donations for the East Wing renovation to funding agreements involving universities."

"But companies, colleges and private citizens won't have that luxury - especially when faced with congressional subpoenas. Democrats expect the White House to either stonewall or grandstand in any investigations. They also anticipate Trump officials invoking executive privilege at every turn."

"Lawmakers in both parties believe the House is more likely to fall into Democratic hands than the Senate. The House also has some institutional advantages, including broader subpoena authority."

Senators Schiff, Whitehouse, and Blumenthal are coordinating investigative strategies for potential Democratic control of the House or Senate. Democrats believe the House is more likely to flip and offers institutional advantages including broader subpoena authority. While the White House is expected to invoke executive privilege and stonewall, private companies, universities, billionaires, and law firms cannot claim such protections. Democrats seek to investigate why major institutions cooperated with the Trump administration, including donations for renovations, funding agreements, pro bono legal services, and corporate solicitations. Previous FOIA requests targeted topics including Epstein's bank records and Trump accepting gifts from foreign entities.

Read at Axios