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Washington • Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are demanding that Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, launch an investigation into President-elect Donald Trump's financial arrangements as he transitions to the Oval Office.
In a second letter to Chaffetz, the chairman of the powerful investigatory committee, the top Democrat on the panel, Elijah Cummings of Maryland, says that Americans are concerned about Trump's business relationships and have flooded phone lines "with more calls than we have ever received in response to any other issue."
Sixteen of Cummings' Democratic colleagues signed on to the letter dated Monday, two weeks after an initial request from the minority party for action.
"At the same time, during this two-week period, troubling new revelations about Mr. Trump's actions — as well as those of his family members and business associates — have made the need for robust congressional oversight even more urgent," the letter says.
Chaffetz declined to comment when asked to respond to the letter; he also declined to comment on the initial Cummings letter.
Previously, the Utah Republican said that after the election, he had planned to continue investigating Trump's rival, Hillary Clinton, over her time as secretary of state, though he would also go after the Trump administration for any wrongdoing.
"I am optimistic that a Trump administration would actually be cooperative," Chaffetz said earlier this month. "The Obama administration has given us the stiff arm every single step of the way. I think a new administration would actually work with us to quickly get to the truth, learn what we need to learn and then fix it."
Trump, a billionaire with scores of companies across the globe, has said he would leave his business dealings to his children but has not indicated whether he would divest himself of the companies. His children have also been intricately involved in his transition, including attending meetings or joining calls with foreign leaders.
House Democrats list several concerns they see with the incoming president, including a comment he made to The New York Times in which he said, "The law's totally on my side; the president can't have a conflict of interest."
Most presidents have put businesses or investments in blind trusts, allowing a manager to handle their affairs without direction from the sitting commander in chief.
"If he refuses," the House Democrats said, "then we in Congress must fulfill our own responsibilities by closely examining the constitutional and statutory provisions that govern Mr. Trump's actions, determining whether his approach meets these standards, and proposing appropriate reforms to address any problems we identify."
Chaffetz harshly criticized Trump in the wake of the emergence in October of off-air "Access Hollywood" audio capturing Trump comments several years earlier bragging about forcing himself on women without accountability because of his celebrity status.
The Utah representative became the first in Congress to publicly withdraw his endorsement of Trump, saying he could not support the Republican nominee and continue to look his teenage daughter in the eye.
Chaffetz later said he would vote for Trump, attempting to make a distinction between casting a ballot for someone and endorsing that person.