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
Can Flynn Assert a Fifth Amendment Privilege to Withhold Documents?
The news that retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security advisor and campaign aide, has refused to comply with a Senate Intelligence Committee subpoena…
The Drip, Drip of Obstruction News
The news yesterday that Donald Trump asked the Director of National Intelligence, Daniel Coats, and the director of the National Security Agency, Adm. Michael Rogers, to publicly…
A Proposal for Space, Not Time, to Negotiate Peace in the Middle East
President Donald Trump was in Israel this week to reboot peace talks between the Jewish state and the Palestinians. Many believe this is premature, pointing to the litany of past…
Trump’s Disclosure Did Not Break the Law
Since the Washington Post revealed that President Trump had provided “classified” information to Russian diplomats, there have been three rounds of reactions. The first comments…
Politicians Keep Buying Kris Kobach’s Ideas Despite Track Record of Failure
Kris Kobach, the Secretary of State for Kansas and an anti-immigrant and vote-suppressing activist, has been angling for a job in the Trump administration since the election. But…
What Lincoln Thought of “America First”
Abraham Lincoln neither spoke nor read any language other than English and would never travel abroad, but he was an internationalist in sentiment, conviction and politics. His…
Tillerson’s Degradation of Human Rights Mustn’t–and Can’t Yet–be Executive Branch Policy
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed State Department employees on May 3, delivering a wide-ranging assessment of the state of the world. He offered a glimpse of how he plans…
Jared Kushner, the Arms Deal, and Alleged Saudi War Crimes
Jared Kushner played a leading role in orchestrating a $100 billion arms deal with the Saudi government, according to the New York Times. At the same time the Saudi air force has…
A Few Good Generals: The Dangers of Serving in the Trump Administration
Amidst all of the confusion, the lies, and the damaged norms of the Trump administration, one of the best hopes for good governance has been tied to a handful of respected, trusted…
Connecting the Dots: Political Microtargeting and the Russia Investigation
In many respects, we’re all in the dark when it comes to the ongoing Russia investigations. Behind closed doors, what are congressional and FBI investigators learning? What new…
Norms Watch: Tracking the Erosion of Democratic Traditions (May 12-19)
Editor’s Note: Welcome to the latest installment of Norms Watch, our series tracking both the flouting of democratic norms by the Trump administration and the erosion of…
The U.S. Strike against Pro-Assad Forces and the 2001 AUMF
U.S. officials have said that the U.S.-led coalition in Syria struck pro-Assad forces that were advancing inside an established “de-confliction” zone and toward a military…