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.
4,623 Articles
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.…
Reports Suggest Comey’s Firing Could Be an Obstruction of Justice in Russia Investigation
If President Donald Trump orchestrated the decision to fire the Director of the FBI to subvert or undermine the integrity of investigations into the Trump campaign’s possible…
An Odd and (perhaps) Telling Omission in the Rosenstein Memo [UPDATED]
With his letter to James Comey today, President Donald Trump attached the “letters” he received from Attorney General Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.…
The Comey Firing and the Rule of Law
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s memo recommending the dismissal is entirely based on Comey’s two highly unusual press conferences denouncing HRC while declining…
The Knives Are Out for Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster
This story is being cross-posted with Foreign Policy. Inside the White House, opponents of Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Donald Trump’s second national security adviser,…
The Constitutional Rubicon of an Assange Prosecution
If you were tuning in and out of FBI Director James Comey’s hearing before the House Intelligence Committee last Wednesday, you probably got an earful about Comey’s public…
The Missing Middle in Police Reform
The killing of Jordan Edwards this week should yield outrage. It should also serve as a wake-up to the rest of America. I’m finishing a book on countries that recovered from…