Democrats flip seats across five states

Before midnight on Tuesday, Democrats had already flipped competitive House seats in Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio, along with key Senate races. The party retook control of the US Senate and is widely expected to do the same in the House - the backdrop to Robert Garcia's lawyer up warning to Trump and the Republicans.

The result marks a sharp turn after two years in which Republicans held the House and Senate majorities, leaving congressional Democrats fighting an uphill battle against Donald Trump's agenda.

Garcia: 'lawyer up'

Robert Garcia, who currently serves as the ranking member of the House oversight committee and is expected to become its chair, delivered the warning to Republicans on Tuesday evening.

The oversight committee is a "watchdog" panel with broad authority to call witnesses, request government documents and issue subpoenas.

Preparation began months ago

The groundwork is already laid. Garcia previously told Punchbowl News that preparatory work on the investigations had been under way for months.

He has said that winning would let him lead investigations into Elon Musk's role in the "department of government efficiency (Doge)", as well as the Trump family's business dealings, ICE abuses and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Wyden's one-word message

Garcia was not the only incoming committee leader sounding the note on Tuesday night. Ron Wyden, poised to lead the Senate finance committee, kept it to a single word on X.

Garcia, for his part, has laid out the levers the House can pull.

He has also pointed to the powers of criminal and civil contempt and the power of subpoena. With Democrats set to control the Senate and widely expected to take the House, Garcia, Wyden and other incoming committee leaders will be able to steer investigations into the US president, his allies and his agenda.