Donald Trump demanded a Justice Department investigation into Democrats on Saturday, accusing his political opponents of criminal threats and singling out Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin.
But Slotkin quickly responded with a reminder of an earlier attempt by federal prosecutors to indict her — an effort that ended when a grand jury refused to bring charges.
The confrontation unfolded just days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, setting the stage for congressional investigations into the Trump administration.
In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump accused Democrats of threatening administration officials and Republican donors with impeachment, prosecution and other punishment.
He called their conduct “extortion at the highest level,” although his post did not establish that any crime had occurred.
Trump specifically targeted Slotkin, accusing her of threatening young people who support Republican values.
“The imprisonment should be against these EXTORTIONISTS,” Trump wrote.
He then directed the Justice Department to act.
“By copy of this statement, I am ordering the Department of Justice to look into this criminal act, immediately!”
In another post, Trump escalated his rhetoric, declaring that Democrats he accused of making threats should go to jail.
“These SLEAZEBAGS should go to jail for what they are doing,” he wrote.
Slotkin, however, rejected the president’s characterization of her position.
In a statement released Saturday, the Democratic senator accused Trump of responding to the election results by promoting Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff and continuing the policies she believes contributed to Republican losses.
She also alleged that Miller had drafted Trump’s threatening message, although that claim has not been independently established.
“This shouldn’t be controversial: if you break the law or use taxpayer dollars to enrich yourself, you should be held accountable. If you didn’t break the law, then it’s all good,” Slotkin said.
Then she reminded Trump of the previous federal investigation involving her.
“Mr. President, your threats of legal action and worse didn’t work when you tried to criminally indict me in front of a grand jury last February. Or when you threatened it again last month.”
The February incident was real.
Federal prosecutors had sought to indict Slotkin and other Democratic lawmakers after they appeared in a video reminding military and intelligence personnel that they were not required to obey unlawful orders.
A federal grand jury declined to return indictments.
The earlier decision gave Slotkin a documented basis for challenging the president’s latest threats.
The senator also disputed Trump’s broader accusations, arguing that legitimate congressional scrutiny should focus on officials who may have violated the law or misused public funds.
She urged the president to concentrate instead on ending the war in Iran, changing his tariff policies and addressing health care cuts scheduled to take effect January 1.
Trump’s demand for an investigation came as Democrats prepared to use their incoming congressional majorities to examine administration policies and conduct.
The president’s accusations of extortion have not been substantiated in the reporting available so far, and the Justice Department had not publicly announced charges related to the alleged threats.
For Slotkin, the latest confrontation brought an earlier legal dispute back into focus — one in which prosecutors had already failed to persuade a grand jury to proceed against her.
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