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.
4,605 Articles
Three Insights into Attempted Firing of Mueller and Obstruction of Justice
Special counsel Robert Mueller arrives at the U.S. Capitol for closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 21, 2017 to discuss the firing of former FBI…
Collective Self-Defense and the “Bloody Nose Strategy”: Does it Take Two to Tango?
The Japanese people and their government have reason to be nervous. Last year, North Korea conducted two ballistic missile tests over Japan. If that was not enough, the U.S. Government…
Could Trump Have “Directed” Mueller’s Removal?
There’s a good deal of ambiguity in the Times’ new story about the President’s effort to “direct” the removal of Special Counsel Mueller last June. …
Timeline of Trump and Obstruction of Justice: Key Dates and Events
Did President Donald Trump or other U.S. officials engage in an obstruction of justice with respect to the Russia investigation? There are three scenarios which raise that question.…
The Russia Cover Up and Conspiring to Lie to Federal Authorities
The Trump team long engaged in a concerted effort to lie about campaign contacts with Russians during the 2016 election. Of this all reasonable observers know. Even some Trump…
Episode 55 of the National Security Law Podcast: #ReleaseThePodcast
Happy anniversary, y’all! It’s been one full year since we launched this podcast, and we are very grateful for all our listeners. Here’s hoping there is *less* to discuss…
Two Notable Omissions in the Mattis National Defense Strategy
The Pentagon has a new National Defense Strategy (NDS), its first in 10 years, and, on Friday, released an 11-page summary of it. Signed by Defense Secretary James Mattis, the…
Exodus Continued: FRONTLINE’s Next Chapter of the Refugee Story
In 2018, the United States, the world’s richest country by far, is expected to open its doors to .08 percent of the world’s 22.5 million refugees, over half of whom are under…
Trump Administration’s Watchlist Data Overstates Terror Threat
Many have already pointed out the serious methodological flaws contained in last week’s report from the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS). To buttress…
The Trump Campaign-Russia Alliance and Campaign Finance
Recent commentaries and press reports have tended to downgrade the prospects for a special counsel prosecution of campaign finance charges. Moving ahead of them in the Mueller…
We’ve Been Here Before: Sticks Don’t Work Well with Pakistan
A Pakistani Army soldier stands near an artillery gun used against pro-Taliban militants while on base at Kabal in the Swat valley of northwestern Pakistan. (John Moore/Getty Images)…
On Bannon’s Testimony & Executive Privilege
Stephen Bannon, President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist and his campaign’s chief executive, refused to answer questions about his roles on the presidential transition…