Executive Branch
Just Security’s expert authors provide analysis of the U.S. executive branch related to national security, rights, and the rule of law. Analysis and informational resources focus on the executive branch’s powers and their limits, and the actions of the president, administrative agencies, and federal officials.
4,757 Articles
Why Officials Keep Testifying Despite White House Counsel’s Letter on Impeachment Inquiry
"These are presumably not the results White House Counsel Cipollone expected when he sent his letter, but in retrospect they seem fairly predictable."
How Trump’s Gilding the Lily on Baghdadi Death Will Return to Haunt Americans
I handled State Dept’s public messaging after we killed bin Laden. I know the risks.
Assessing the Legal Landscape of Family Separation in the Immigration Context
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen was interviewed this week as part of FORTUNE’s “Most Powerful Women Summit” in Washington. Nielsen, who seemed nonplussed…
George Washington’s Advisors Agreed: Impeachment Did Away with Executive Privilege
George Washington clearly signaled that executive privilege would not be available if the House were pursuing an impeachment inquiry. His advisors agreed.
United States of America v. Rudolph W. Giuliani
Former U.S. Attorneys draft a "Model Indictment" based on publicly available evidence of Giuliani's misconduct.
GOP “Storming” of Secure Facility for Impeachment Proceedings: An Explainer
How does a "SCIF" work, and can members of Congress be penalized for their en masse protest of testimony in the House impeachment investigation?
Trump Views U.S. Taxpayer Dollars As His Personal Checkbook
For Trump, congressionally appropriated taxpayer dollars are his to do with as he pleases.
Abandoning Open Skies: Trump Would Be Squandering More of Our Security Inheritance
Rumors have been swirling about President Donald Trump deciding to withdraw the United States from the Open Skies Treaty. Congress, our allies and the public have been kept in…
“With a Little Help from Our Friends”: Prosecuting the ISIL “Beatles” in U.S. Courts
Civilian prosecution in U.S. courts remains by far the best option for reliably bringing the two ISIL detainees in U.S. custody to justice. The DoJ should look closely at whether…
A Dozen Questions for Mike Pompeo
Twelve questions for Congress and the news media to ask Secretary Pompeo as Ukraine scandal unfolds.
The Missing Link: Getting Dirt on Biden Was Key Part of “Investigation into 2016 Election” Too
Set aside Trump-Giuliani pressure on Ukraine to investigate Burisma. Their pressure on Ukraine to investigate 2016 election was also targeting Biden.
Bureaucratic Resistance and the Deep State Myth
How to think — and not think — about the concept of a "Deep State" as the nation works through the Ukraine whistleblower developments.