Attorney General Todd Blanche refused Sunday to rule out prosecuting Democratic lawmakers who say they'll investigate Trump officials, a day after President Trump ordered the Justice Department to probe lawmakers.
Why it matters: The confrontation threatens a constitutional crisis over the separation of powers: Trump is ordering prosecutors to go after lawmakers in a potential effort to hamper Congress' power to hold the executive branch accountable.
Driving the news: In a Truth Social post Saturday, Trump accused Democrats of threatening administration officials and Republican donors with investigations and impeachment.
"This is extortion at the highest level, and they should be held accountable for this," Trump wrote.
He singled out Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), accusing her of threatening young people who hold Republican views.
"The imprisonment should be against these EXTORTIONISTS," Trump wrote.
"By copy of this statement, I am ordering the Department of Justice to look into this criminal act, immediately!" he added.
The latest: On CNN's "State of the Union," Blanche acknowledged Congress' constitutional oversight authority but argued that Democrats' rhetoric had crossed a line.
Asked whether DOJ would investigate Democratic lawmakers, Blanche did not identify a criminal statute or confirm that an investigation had begun.
Asked whether lawmakers could face imprisonment, Blanche said it depended on what crimes they had committed.
On Fox News, he said the possibility of criminal charges depended on what Democrats had said.
The Justice Department have not responded to requests for comment.
What they're saying: Blanche singled out incoming House Oversight Committee Chair Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who warned officials, including incoming White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, to "lawyer up."
"I would be very worried if I was a member on that committee," Blanche told CNN.
He also said the department would provide legal defense for administration officials facing congressional scrutiny, including incoming White House chief of staff Stephen Miller.
In a statement, the Justice Department wouldn't say if it had already opened any investigations of Democrats: "We follow the facts, law, and the evidence. We don't comment on the existence or non-existence of investigations."
The other side: Garcia accused Blanche of trying to intimidate Congress and said Democrats would not back down.
"They can come after us however they want. We're not going to be intimidated," Garcia told CNN.
Garcia said his committee would pursue alleged wrongdoing involving Trump's administration, family and corporate allies.
Flashback: In February, a federal grand jury rejected DOJ's attempt to indict Slotkin and five other Democratic lawmakers over a video urging service members to refuse unlawful military orders.
What's next: It remains unclear whether DOJ has opened an investigation in response to Trump's order, which lawmakers it might examine or what conduct it believes could constitute a crime.
Trump tells his DOJ to go after Democrats and Blacnche, his former personal attorney follows his orders. And we the taxpayers will be paying to defend anyone and everyone accused in his administration.
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