WASHINGTON, DC —Democrats on Capitol Hill met to create a shadow government to undermine the duly elected Republican majority in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, but more directly, President Trump.
President Trump won the 2024 election in a landslide, while Republicans won control of both the House and Senate. Now, the Democrat party wants to undermine the will of the American people, who came out in record numbers to end Democrat control of the U.S. government.
U.S. Senator Adam Schiff and Democratic lawmakers launched an unprecedented bicameral oversight campaign on Monday, vowing to investigate what they call widespread abuse and corruption within the Trump administration, following Republican refusal to conduct formal inquiries.
Key Points
- Senator Schiff and Democrats begin independent oversight hearings of Trump administration conduct.
- Accuse GOP of enabling presidential overreach and silencing internal dissent.
- Hearings will feature whistleblowers and officials allegedly intimidated by Trump allies.
Speaking at the inaugural session of what he dubbed a “bicameral oversight hearing,” Schiff said Democrats in both the Senate and House were forced to act due to the Republican Party’s “abdication” of its constitutional oversight duties. “They have stood by as the President has run roughshod over the legislative branch and turned Congress into a little more than a rubber stamp,” Schiff said during his opening remarks.
Schiff pledged that Democrats would now take up the mantle of accountability, describing the new oversight initiative as necessary to “expose the illegality, abuse, and corruption” within the Trump White House and U.S. Department of Justice.
Parallel governance allegations
In a pointed historical comparison, Schiff cited 1930s Germany, invoking the rise of a “dual state” system where formal legal structures were gradually replaced by a lawless, leader-driven order. He warned that the Trump administration had similarly established a “parallel system” to pursue political enemies and exert pressure on American institutions.
“A parallel system carry[ing] out the will of the leader… to co-opt, to intimidate, silence, or take over institutions that make a society free,” Schiff said.
Whistleblowers to testify
The hearing will reportedly include witnesses from inside the federal government who claim they were threatened or pressured to remain silent. Schiff said these testimonies would provide a window into “what’s actually happening behind closed doors,” and why, he argued, it matters to Americans across the political spectrum.
The Democrats’ hearings aim to spotlight alleged misconduct ignored by Republican-led committees, including actions that critics say have undermined judicial independence, press freedoms, and federal law enforcement integrity.
Schiff’s announcement marks a new phase in congressional conflict as Democrats form their own unofficial watchdog arm amid partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill.