President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is directing the Justice Department to investigate Democratic leaders he accused of trying to intimidate Republicans, four days after voters handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress.

In a post on his social media platform Trump claimed Democrats were warning officials in his administration with impeachment and other penalties. He called their conduct a crime and "extortion at the highest level" but did not say which letters he meant, who sent them or who received them. He offered no evidence that any law had been broken.

Trump also named Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. He claimed she wants to punish young people who hold conservative views. The charge appears to point to remarks she made at a university event in October, when she said she hoped new graduates would think twice before taking jobs in the administration.

Slotkin fires back

Slotkin answered within hours. She said the president had reacted to Tuesday's results by promoting Stephen Miller to chief of staff and then letting Miller write a post that threatened to send her to prison.

The senator told Trump that if he had heard voters he would be working to end the war with Iran, drop what she called sloppy tariffs and prepare for health care cuts set to take effect on Jan. 1. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A familiar fight

Slotkin has been in the administration's sights before. In November 2025 she joined five other Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds in a video reminding service members that they may refuse illegal orders. Trump branded the video seditious and federal investigators contacted the lawmakers. In February a federal grand jury in Washington declined to indict them.

Oversight on the horizon

Democratic leaders have promised hearings and document demands once the new Congress is seated in January. Some lawmakers have already sent letters asking for records on matters such as corporate donations tied to the ballroom Trump is building at the White House.

Miller is set to take over as chief of staff on Monday. Legal experts have long noted that a president can urge the Justice Department to act but that prosecutors still need evidence of a crime to bring a case.