Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said Democrats would pursue aggressive investigations into President Donald Trump and his administration if the party regains control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections.
Speaking Friday on MSNBC’s The Briefing with host Jen Psaki, Ocasio-Cortez said congressional oversight and advancing legislative priorities could occur simultaneously if Democrats reclaim the majority.
The discussion followed comments from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has argued that Democrats would use control of the House to investigate Trump, members of his Cabinet and individuals associated with the administration.
Psaki referenced Johnson’s remarks while asking Ocasio-Cortez how Democrats would balance investigations with priorities such as health care and affordable housing.
Ocasio-Cortez pointed to her previous service on the House Oversight Committee during Trump’s first administration.
“I spent many years on the oversight committee in Congress, which is in charge of investigations during the first Trump administration,” she said.
“I helped on the investigation of Michael Cohen at the time, which led to a record-setting settlement from Attorney General Letitia James.”
The New York Democrat said she believes congressional committees are capable of conducting investigations while lawmakers continue pursuing legislation.
“I think that it really is — it genuinely is a situation of we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” she said.
“There are certain committees that I think will be spearheading real investigations into this administration.”
Ocasio-Cortez argued that congressional oversight is necessary to establish accountability for future administrations.
“There has to be accountability, and it has to be because we cannot allow this level of corruption to consume our public service and our government ever again,” she said.
“And the only way that you set that precedent is by aggressive investigation and consequence.”
She added that findings from congressional inquiries can sometimes lead to action outside of Congress.
“And oftentimes, some of the things that do come out in congressional investigations sometimes yield to either state pursuits,” she said.
Ocasio-Cortez also rejected Johnson’s assertion that future Democratic investigations would amount to politically motivated inquiries.
“Mike Johnson paints this as though it’s some partisan witch hunt, but if you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes,” she said.
Republicans have frequently accused Democrats of using congressional investigations to target Trump for political reasons, pointing to numerous investigations conducted during and after his first term in office, per the Conservative Brief.
Democrats, meanwhile, have argued that congressional oversight is a constitutional responsibility of the legislative branch and say investigations are intended to ensure accountability within the executive branch.
Control of the House is expected to be one of the central battlegrounds in the 2026 midterm elections.
If Democrats regain the majority, committee chairmanships would shift to Democratic lawmakers, giving them subpoena authority and broad oversight powers to investigate executive branch actions.
