When Democrats take back control of the House January 3rd, they are going to have plenty to do as they launch investigations into various aspects of the Trump administration, and part of gearing up for that is recruiting legal staff.
CNN:
Party leaders and committee chairs have spent months ironing out potential targets, from President Donald Trump's taxes and business dealings to the conduct of current and former Cabinet members.
To handle all this investigative work, House Democrats are expected to double the number of their staffers. Though they can't officially hire anyone until the new Congress is seated, plans are well underway, with House members saying that candidates -- especially those with specific investigative skills, from money laundering to contracting -- are coming from all directions.
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The hiring efforts started early. One Democratic House committee posted a help-wanted ad on a job board frequented by Capitol Hill staffers the day after the November 6 midterm elections. The post, which did not name the committee, sought "investigative counsel to conduct congressional investigations and advise on policy matters related to oversight of the executive branch."
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One person familiar with the Democratic ramp-up in staffing told CNN, "There are a lot of people willing to take pay cuts to come do that work."
"We're being deluged with resumes, really impressive resumes. There will be no shortage of good candidates. The difficulty will be choosing among them," said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who will lead the House Intelligence Committee next year and will play a key role in investigating Russian election interference.
Schiff has signaled that he also wants to focus on questions about possible money laundering and the Trump Organization. A source familiar with the Intelligence Committee's planning tells CNN that Schiff is looking to hire investigative staff with expertise in financial crimes.
Passing legislation to protect the special counsel also will be a top priority.
Such legislation passed the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year but was never put to a vote on the floor. That bill will give House Democrats an avenue to pressure the GOP-led Senate to act, too, although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has shown no interest in taking up the measure, even after outgoing Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona launched a blockade on confirming judges over the lack of a floor vote on the measure.
Democrats intend to pursue the president's tax returns too.
Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he intends to use an arcane IRS code that allows his committee to ask the Treasury Department for the President's returns.
Neal -- a business-minded Democrat who has earned a reputation as a willing negotiator -- had hoped Trump would be willing to negotiate and turn over his tax returns without a fight. But in recent weeks, comments from Trump's allies have made it clear that asking nicely would be a waste of time ...
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Depending on what's in them, Trump's tax returns could provide information that would feed investigations by other committees.
"I think there's a lot of information in them that would be of interest to my committee. For example, we'd like to know exactly what our, what has been the sources of income for this President," Cummings said. "He's made all kinds of claims that he doesn't have relationships with Russia. He told us he didn't have any relationships with Russia; we come to find out that's not accurate. So there've been a lot of allegations, but I think the tax returns, where he has to swear that the information is accurate, that would tell us a lot."
House Democrats scooping up staff, lawyers to power Trump investigations (CNN)