Attorney General Todd Blanche declined on Sunday to rule out prosecuting Democratic lawmakers who have said they intend to investigate Trump administration officials, one day after President Donald Trump ordered the Justice Department to probe members of Congress. The comments amounted to a warning that Democrats who pursue investigations of his inner circle could themselves face prosecution.

The development was reported on Sunday by Axios' Andrew Pantazi, who wrote that the confrontation "threatens a constitutional crisis over the separation of powers: Trump is ordering prosecutors to go after lawmakers in a potential effort to hamper Congress' power to hold the executive branch accountable." Congress's power to investigate sitting administrations is rooted in its constitutional oversight role — the authority through which lawmakers scrutinize the executive branch and its officials.

In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump accused Democrats of threatening administration officials and Republican donors with investigations and impeachment. "This is extortion at the highest level, and they should be held accountable for this," Trump wrote.

Asked whether the Justice Department would investigate Democratic lawmakers, Blanche did not identify a criminal statute or confirm that an investigation had begun, according to Axios. Asked whether lawmakers could face imprisonment, he said it depended on what crimes they had committed. In a separate interview on Fox News, Blanche said the possibility of criminal charges depended on what Democrats had said. The White House and the Justice Department have not responded to requests for comment. The next markers in the standoff are whether the Justice Department moves beyond Blanche's comments to formally open a case, and whether Democrats follow through on their stated plans to investigate administration officials.

Blanche has been accused of pushing the law to its limits on Trump's behalf — from facilitating a $1.776 billion slush fund for his cronies to helping conceal files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late child sex trafficker and close friend of the president.

Democrats are not alone in accusing Trump and Blanche of corruption. Earlier this month, conservative columnist David French explicitly blamed Blanche for many of the Justice Department's abuses of power.

"I'm stopping because of space, not because that's the end of the outrages," French wrote. "In case after case after case, the Department of Justice is targeting Trump opponents, making frivolous arguments and engaging in vindictive, meritless prosecutions."

He added: "I blame Trump, but I also blame Blanche. He doesn't understand his own job. We all know that Trump has an extreme view of executive power that renders him a virtual elected monarch. His administration's actions extend well beyond conventional 'unitary executive theory,' which puts a premium on presidential control over the executive branch. He treats the law as his plaything, deciding on his own whim which laws will be enforced and which ones will not."