Slotkin proposes probes of Trump officials as deterrent

Sen. Elissa Slotkin said Democrats should pursue selected investigations of Trump administration officials and use the prospect of accountability as a deterrent to discourage young people from taking jobs in the administration. Her remarks described a possible approach if Democrats regain control of Congress, not prosecutions already underway or a formal investigative plan. Slotkin made the comments at a University of Chicago event on October 13, during a discussion of how Congress could oversee the administration. She said lawmakers should focus on what she called “signature cases” involving people who enabled President Donald Trump, rather than concentrating only on the president. She argued that aides do not have the same immunity as the president and should be held accountable if they broke the law or misused taxpayer funds while carrying out presidential guidance. Slotkin said she wanted prospective graduates to weigh the personal risks of joining the administration and decide that such a job could bring problems they would rather avoid. She described that intended effect as a deterrence message. The remarks do not establish that any particular official would be...