He CAN'T be permitted
But the loss of the House was a major blow to the president, whose party until now controlled all the levers of power in Washington and still had trouble passing some of his top legislative priorities other than tax cuts.
The turnover in the House foreshadowed a dramatic change in Mr. Trump’s presidency. A Democratic House not only can block Mr. Trump’s priorities like building a wall along the southern border, it can also use subpoena power to investigate all manner of issues that he had been protected from until now.
Among other things, Democrats are likely to demand the release of tax returns that he has kept secret, look into his business dealings and reopen the House investigation into any ties between Mr. Trump’s team and Russia during the 2016 election.
“We’ll fill in the gaps on the Russia investigations,” Representative Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California and member of the House Intelligence Committee,
said on NBC News on Wednesday morning. “The American people will see his tax returns, not because of any voyeuristic interest, but because they should know if he is corrupt. And we will look at the cashing in of access to the Oval Office and that has been concerning and his financial entanglements overseas.”
More dangerous to the president, a Democratic House has the power to impeach him, even if it would not be able to muster the two-thirds vote required for conviction in the Senate. Democratic leaders, including Ms. Pelosi, have resisted the idea of impeachment, but could come under enormous pressure from the party’s liberal base, especially if Mr. Mueller produces a report with damning information.
The pressure on Democrats was immediate. “The American people have voted for real change, and it’s critical that these new representatives recognize this will only come with a true political reckoning for the corruption, self-dealing and lawlessness exemplified by Mr. Trump,” said Tom Steyer, a liberal California billionaire who has financed a drive to push for impeachment. “He cannot be permitted to continue to break the law with impunity.”