Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California signaled Monday that House Democrats plan to extend their oversight efforts beyond government officials and into the private sector should they retake the House majority in the 2026 midterm elections.
Speaking with CNN’s News Central co-host Kate Bolduan, Swalwell outlined a strategy that includes not only subpoenaing the Department of Justice but also targeting individuals and organizations he says have struck questionable deals with Donald Trump and his administration.
“Well, first, we are making it clear that we’re going into the majority a year from now,” Swalwell said confidently. “We have every intention to do that, and so we will bring oversight, accountability. We will subpoena the Department of Justice, but also private actors who have done these drug deals with the administration — college campuses, entertainment companies, law firms — and so accountability is coming.”
Swalwell’s remarks came days after a federal grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The indictment stems from testimony Comey delivered during a September 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing while Trump was president.
The California Democrat framed the charges against Comey as politically driven. “If you’re trying to tell me this is not politically motivated,” he said, “the statement that they’re referring to where he allegedly lied, Donald Trump was president, so why didn’t you indict him then? The fact that he’s indicting him now just makes it look even more politically motivated.” Swalwell added that he believed the case would either be dismissed or result in Comey’s acquittal.
Swalwell further suggested that Democrats’ planned inquiries into private citizens are meant not only to hold actors accountable but to dissuade others from entering into similar arrangements with Trump. “One, it’s all coming out. Two, I hope that deters people from doing more of these deals, these one-offs with the president,” he said.
The comments reflect a hardening Democratic posture as Trump continues to face a patchwork of legal and political battles. In recent months, major media networks and prominent law firms have also been drawn into legal disputes involving the former president.
CBS reached a $10 billion settlement with Trump over the network’s editing of an October 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent in that year’s election. Earlier in 2024, ABC agreed to pay $15 million to resolve a defamation claim Trump filed against the network after remarks made by This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos during a contentious interview with Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
Law firms, too, have faced fallout. Several entered into agreements with the Trump administration after disputes concerning access to classified information. In 2022, powerhouse firm Kirkland & Ellis cut ties with former Solicitor General Paul Clement and other attorneys who represented an NRA-backed challenge to restrictive concealed-carry permit laws, after refusing to withdraw from ongoing Second Amendment litigation.
Swalwell’s pledge to scrutinize both governmental and private-sector actors reflects a broader Democratic effort to reframe oversight power should they reclaim control of the House. Whether that vision materializes will hinge on the outcome of the 2026 midterms — and the political landscape that continues to shift as Trump’s legal challenges unfold.
