White House counsel Will Scharf sent a letter warning House Democrats that their threats to investigate may be criminal.^[1] The White House claimed such probes may amount to blatant criminality.^[2] It called the planned congressional probes an abuse of power.^[3] Who received it The letter went to Rep. Robert Garcia.^[4] Garcia is a Democrat from California.^[5] He is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.^[6] He will chair it from 3 January.^[7] Democrats won majority control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections on 3 November.^[8] They plan oversight probes into the administration's activities.^[9] The reply Garcia called the letter an unconstitutional attack on Congress.^[10] He said Congress has the constitutional authority to conduct oversight investigations.^[11] Hakeem Jeffries called the letter outrageous and inaccurate.^[12] A different line from the attorney general The administration's own chief law officer did not go as far as the letter. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that Congress has oversight authority.^[13] Both sides were ready The White House hired staff for the counsel's office to prepare for investigations before Election Day.^[14] The new Congress, and Garcia's chairmanship, begins on 3 January.