US House Democrat Jamie Raskin demands FIFA president Infantino testify over ties to Donald Trump and corruption allegations

Summary

US Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, wrote to FIFA president Gianni Infantino on July 27 requesting he appear before the committee and provide FIFA records. Raskin's press release described the inquiry as an investigation into "mounting evidence of a Trump bribery and corruption scheme" involving Infantino's relationship with President Donald Trump. The letter came after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Infantino had been a frequent presence at Trump administration events during the lead-up to the tournament. The committee is the minority party's ranking-member inquiry; it does not carry subpoena power on its own, but formal requests on House stationery create a public record that can be escalated.

Why it matters

Infantino's relationship with Trump attracted scrutiny throughout the 2026 World Cup cycle. FIFA awarded the 2026 tournament to a North American bid that included the United States when Trump was in his first term, and Infantino was photographed at multiple White House events. Raskin's framing of the inquiry as a "bribery and corruption scheme" is significantly more aggressive than typical oversight language and signals that Democrats intend to use the inquiry politically. Because Raskin is the ranking member rather than the committee chair, the request is not backed by subpoena authority, but it forces FIFA and the White House into a public response.

What to watch

• Whether FIFA responds to Raskin's letter and on what terms
• Whether Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee open a competing or blocking inquiry
• Whether the Justice Department or any other federal body opens a parallel investigation
• The content of whatever FIFA records Raskin is seeking, which would indicate the specific transactions under scrutiny