White House counsel Will Scharf sent a letter dated Monday to Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee who is poised to chair the panel when Democrats take control of Congress in January.

The three-page letter said the administration is "monitoring" Democrats' "abusive and capricious threats" to launch congressional probes, and warned that "threats to executive branch officials designed to deter them from public service" or process "designed merely to abuse or instill fear in the recipient" may "cross the line into blatant criminality."

The letter was first reported by Punchbowl News and shared with NBC News by a White House official.

The suggestion that a congressional investigation could itself constitute criminality is unusual, according to NBC News, which noted that while threats of political reprisal for partisan probes are commonplace, the claim that a congressional probe constitutes criminality is not.

NBC News points to precedent: when Republicans investigated Hunter Biden under President Biden, House Oversight Chairman James Comer's probes continued unimpeded.

New York Times reporter Devlin Barrett told PBS NewsHour that, as a legal document, the letter "doesn't mean very much," but as a political document it signals "we intend to fight every subpoena you send us."

Scharf's letter cited Democratic lawmakers' own rhetoric previewing subpoenas, including Rep. Analilia Mejia of New Jersey writing on X that Democrats would "toss out subpoenas like Mardi Gras beads" and Rep. Emily Randall of Washington saying they would be passed out "like candy," as reported by NBC News.

The letter pointed to Supreme Court rulings that congressional investigations must be tied to a legitimate legislative purpose, though NBC News notes committees under both parties have broad investigative authority and courts have rarely stopped them.

Garcia characterized the letter as intimidation, saying in a statement that "Congress' authority comes from Article I of the Constitution, not from the permission of the White House."

He told reporters outside the Capitol that "Donald Trump is clearly hiding something" and warned officials to "lawyer up" if they had abused the public.

Likely House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries called the letter "outrageous," saying it was "factually inaccurate" and "legally inaccurate," and that a Democratic Congress would be "a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch."

Rep. Jamie Raskin, poised to chair House Judiciary, suggested Garcia could seek a restraining order, saying threatening prosecution for First Amendment activity is itself legally actionable, per The Hill.

Democrats are preparing a sweeping oversight agenda, including probes of Trump family wealth, the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, ICE operations, White House ballroom construction, and Trump's crypto dealings, according to the Associated Press.

The letter comes amid a wave of high-profile Justice Department resignations, including Harmeet Dhillon, Jason Quinones, Brett Shumate and John Eisenberg, which PBS NewsHour reports reflect officials failing to meet White House expectations.

The New York Times' Barrett also reports DOJ warned field office leaders to prepare for a "wartime footing" when Democrats take over.

The confrontation will test the separation of powers once Democrats assume at least 254 House seats and 54 Senate seats in January, per The Hill's tally cited by NewsCord.

Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN there "could be" a crime if Democratic rhetoric turned threatening, while also saying "Congress has oversight authority. It always has, it always will."

With Senate confirmation now harder for replacing departed DOJ officials, Barrett told PBS that officials who stay may be "locked in for the rest of the ride," and Democrats will face choices about which officials, including Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, they truly pursue.