Election 2026 live updates: Trump calls for DOJ probe of Dems

President Donald Trump is claiming, without providing evidence, that Democratic leaders are sending "threatening" letters and messages to Republicans and that he is directing the Department of Justice to investigate this alleged "criminal act."

"Threatening letters have been sent to many people, all innocent, from Democrat Political Leaders. By copy of this statement, I am ordering the Department of Justice to look into this criminal act, immediately!" he wrote on his social media platform.

The president does not specify what "letters" he is referring to or how this would constitute a "criminal act." This allegation comes in a long post slamming Democrats for suggesting impeachment efforts of Cabinet members, with the president accusing them of "extortion" and insisting that his administration has not committed any wrongdoing.

"The Democrats are going around threatening a lot of people, including the Attorney General of the United States, and others, with Impeachment and many other forms of punishment, even though they admit they have no reason to do so, and there have been no impeachable acts committed, or even thought of, by the victims of this illegal process. This is extortion at the highest level, and they should be held accountable for this," Trump said.

This comes after Democrats reclaimed both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, prompting anticipation of new congressional oversight. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie is expected to reintroduce a privileged resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which could come as early as Monday.

Trump also claimed, without providing evidence, that Democrats are "threatening" Republican donors simply for their party affiliation, with the president referring to this as "weaponization."

-ABC News’ Emily Chang

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Nithya Raman made her first public appearance Thursday night, giving her victory speech after incumbent Mayor Karen Bass conceded the Los Angeles mayor's race.

Raman spoke to a gaggle of reporters and unsuspecting patrons at the Original Farmer's Market, saying she's made amends with Bass and City Hall over phone calls and is now focused on gaining public trust.

Raman also paid tribute to the mayor and thanked her for her service. She mentioned she and Bass have agreed to a smooth transition of power and went on to add that she's committed to working in tandem with city council.

"No matter what happened during the campaign, that is in the past now. And all of us, every single member of that city council and I are here because we love Los Angeles and we know that we need to work together in order to address the challenges that we have ahead," she said.

Raman added that her priority is instilling public trust in city government.

"I want to tell every single Angeleno out there, I am going to work so hard. And everyone behind me is going to work so hard to earn your trust, to earn you trust, and to earn the trust. To earn the trust of everyone across this city and to make people believe in Los Angeles again, to make believe in its City Hall again."

-ABC News' Clarissa Gonzales

Keisha Lance Bottoms joined ABC News Live on Thursday, just days after becoming the first Black woman to be elected governor in the United States.

"My heart is full. I have so many emotions," the governor-elect told Linsey Davis of her historic win. "I'm still soaking it in ... all of it hadn't hit me yet, but it's coming."

When asked about working with President Donald Trump and his administration, Bottoms said she would work alongside fellow governors to see if they can find "common ground."

"I'm looking forward to talking with other governors across the country who've had to deal with this Trump administration and determine, you know, is there a reasonable person or a reasonable space where common ground can be found?" she said.

With 96% of the expected vote reported in Mississippi as of 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, Democrat Scott Colom slightly leads with 49.0% of the vote (466,747 votes) followed by Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith with 48.9% of the vote (464,925 votes,) according to election data.

Colom only leads Hyde-Smith by 1,822 votes.

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim