The REAL Investigations Will Start In January

(Cartoon image is by Steve Sack in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.)

For the last couple of years, Donald Trump (and his cronies in the presidential administration) have had a free ride. The very few "investigations" that House Republicans have allowed were nothing but a blatant attempt to whitewash Trump's sins. That is over in January, when the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives.

Democrats have tried to start investigations into the dubious behavior of the Trump administration. Republicans quashed every attempt to do that. Listed below are 18 investigations that are very likely to happen now. And you can go to Axios.com for another list of 18 possible investigation, and a list of 59 subpoenas the Republicans refused to issue (but are now likely to be issued).

There's one more reason it's important that the Democrats will now control the House of Representatives. By firing Sessions and installing Whitaker as Attorney General, it is likely that Trump is trying to block the Mueller Report and keep it from being issued to Congress or the public.

But thanks to the GOP changing the rules (to allow committee chairs to issue subpoenas without minority compliance), there is a very good chance that if the report is not made public -- then the Democratic committee chairs could subpoena the report, and maybe even subpoena Mueller to testify about what is in the report.

Things are about to get very interesting on Capitol Hill, and that has to be worrying those in the Trump administration.

LIKELY INVESTIGATIONS:

President Trump’s tax returns

Trump family businesses — and whether they comply with the Constitution's emoluments clause, including the Chinese trademark grant to the Trump Organization

Trump's dealings with Russia, including the president's preparation for his meeting with Vladimir Putin

The payment to Stephanie Clifford — a.k.a. Stormy Daniels

James Comey's firing

Trump's firing of U.S. attorneys

Trump's proposed transgender ban for the military

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's business dealings

White House staff's personal email use

Cabinet secretary travel, office expenses, and other misused perks

Discussion of classified information at Mar-a-Lago

Jared Kushner's ethics law compliance

Dismissal of members of the EPA board of scientific counselors

The travel ban

Family separation policy

Hurricane response in Puerto Rico

Election security and hacking attempts

White House security clearances