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
Just How Sensitive Was the Information Trump Reportedly Revealed to the Russians?
Given today’s bombshell report by the Washington Post claiming President Donald Trump revealed classified information relating to the Islamic State to senior Russian officials…
National Security-Related Congressional Hearings, May 15-19
Tuesday, May 16 10:00am – Senate Committee on Foreign Relations – Business Meeting (here) 2:30pm – Senate Committee on Intelligence – Intelligence Matters (Closed) (here)…
The Trump Administration’s Early (Appropriate) Focus on Botnets
President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on Cybersecurity, concentrating as it does on things largely within the authority of the executive branch, is a reasonable early approach…
UAE, a Key US Partner in Yemen, Implicated in Detainee Abuse
One of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s regrettable statements during the Iraq war was his infamous response to an Army specialist asking about the lack of armor for military…
Never Waste A Good Crisis, FBI Edition
President Trump’s decision to summarily dismiss now-former FBI Director James Comey has sparked grave concerns in many quarters. The move has been described as a profoundly…
A Misplaced Focus on “Collusion”
Public discussion of the FBI’s ongoing investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 election is dominated by the question of collusion: Were senior members of the Trump…
President Trump: Don’t Replace Andrew McCabe
Yesterday, James’ Comey’s former deputy, now Acting Director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, demonstrated that he, too, is willing to speak his mind (read: will not be…
Norms Watch: Tracking the Erosion of Democratic Traditions (May 5-12)
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…
Congress Protects U.S. Foreign Aid For Now but the Budget Wars Are Just Beginning
While overshadowed by news that House Republicans voted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, last week’s signing of a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the…
White House Offers Zero Credible Evidence to Backup Assertion that Morale Was Low at FBI
One of the reasons the White House gave for firing FBI Director James Comey was that “most importantly, rank and file of the FBI had lost confidence in their director.”…
Q&A on Comey Firing, Russia Investigation and More
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, there have been a handful of new revelations reported on the status of the investigations into…
Rosenstein’s Reputation Now Rests on His Appointment of a Special Counsel in Russia Investigation
When he began his job as deputy attorney general two weeks ago, Rod Rosenstein had a sterling reputation as a longtime U.S. Attorney in administrations of both political parties.…