Congress
Just Security’s expert authors offer analysis of U.S. Congress’ role in national security, foreign affairs, the rule of law, and rights. Coverage includes analysis and informational resources related to the legislative process, oversight and investigations of the executive branch, and major debates on the separation of powers and Congress’ constitutional role.
2,468 Articles

Why Flynn Isn’t Getting Immunity Anytime Soon
[Editor’s Note: This post is part of a Just Security symposium on retired lieutenant general Michael Flynn’s legal jeopardy. Ready Alex’s earlier post, “Flynn’s…

A Primer on the Foreign Agents Registration Act—and Related Laws Trump Officials May Have Broken
About a week ago, I wrote a pair of posts about the increasing insinuation in various camps that, if in fact the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government to influence…

Flynn’s Public Offer to Testify for Immunity Suggests He May Have Nothing to Say
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn told the FBI and Congress that he is willing to testify in exchange for immunity. But it’s…

Q&A on Senate Intelligence Committee Press Conference with Burr and Warner
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who are leading the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential…

Sally Yates, Russia Testimony & Executive Privilege in the Trump Era
This week has shed light on the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to executive privilege, but it has also cast doubt over President Donald Trump’s ability to assert…
National Security-Related Congressional Hearings, March 27-March 31
Tuesday, March 28 10:00am – House Committee on Armed Services – Military Assessment of Russian Activities and Security Challenges in Europe (here) 10:00am – House Committee…

Reforming Surveillance In the Age of Donald Trump
Above: An NSA site in Germany. On Wednesday, the Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes (R-CA), gave a press conference in which he reported that Trump…

Incidental Collection Is Extremely Troubling, Regardless of Legality
A lot of ink has been spilled over statements by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Nunes that President Trump’s communications were incidentally collected pursuant to a surveillance…

Drawing a Line on Mass Surveillance: How Congress Must Reform Section 702
RAF Menwith Hill in the United Kingdom, host to U.S. National Security Agency facilities. On Monday, members of the House Intelligence Committee held an open hearing into Russian…

Judge Gorsuch and Executive Power
I’ll be testifying tomorrow before the Senate Judiciary Committee about Judge Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court. I intend to focus on Judge Gorsuch’s tenure at the…

Problems with the Focus on Leaks as Trump’s Defense to Russia Investigation
Monday’s public hearing of the House intelligence committee confirmed two facts that were largely already established in the public domain. First, Director James Comey confirmed…

Ukraine Update: the ICJ Proceedings & Options for Justice in the United States
With the Congressional hearings on Russia dominating the news, this post provides an update on proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the matter of Ukraine…