Congressional Oversight
435 Articles
Barr’s Playbook: He Misled Congress When Omitting Parts of Justice Dep’t Memo in 1989
When Bill Barr was head of Office of Legal Counsel, he gave Congress the legal conclusions and reasoning of an important Justice Department memo but left out major portions of…
The House Oversight Committee Squeeze on White House Security Practices
Over the last several weeks, the House Oversight and Reform Committee has been busy documenting allegations from a whistleblower who stepped forward to raise concerns about security…
How Barr May Interpret What It Means to Withhold “Grand Jury Information”
While federal rules govern grand jury secrecy, they contain room for interpretation. Here's how the Attorney General may interpret them broadly to hide a large swath of Mueller's…
Now Mueller’s Probe is Over, Should and Will His Findings Be Made Public? Law and Past Practice
The first waiting game is over. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has completed his role as Special Counsel and delivered his findings to Attorney General William Barr.
Now, the…
Trump and the Demise of the Presidential Records Honor System
News broke yesterday that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior policy advisor, has been using the private messaging application WhatsApp for official…
Reflecting on the Civilian Casualty Executive Order: What Was Lost and What Can Now Be Gained
What information did the public just lose with Trump's decision, and what can Congress do beyond just restoring it? Civilian casualties in wartime reporting and minimization.
President Trump’s Cronyism and Excesses Should Prompt Security Clearance Reform
The Trump years threaten to become a boiling point for numerous simmering constitutional conflicts, but one of the most innocuous-looking might end up being one of the most important.…
Trump’s Revocation of Reporting on Lethal Strikes: All Eyes on Congress, Now
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order revoking a section of President Barack Obama’s Executive Order on civilian casualties that required annual reporting…
The Ripening: The House Judiciary Committee Investigation Will Bear Fruit
The House Judiciary Committee sent out document requests to 81 parties associated with President Donald Trump in its wide-ranging investigation into “allegations of corruption,…
The White House Counsel’s Flawed Response to Congress on Security Clearances
Intensifying congressional oversight activity prompted President Donald Trump to accuse Democrats of “presidential harassment.” He complained — falsely — that President…
Norms Watch: Damage to Democracy and Rule of Law in February 2019
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 those norms in reactions…
The Missing Khashoggi Report: A President Can’t Choose to “Decline” His Constitutional Role to Accommodate Congressional Oversight
Trump's decision to ignore Congress' deadline on responsibility for Jamal Khashoggi's murder misunderstands congressional oversight. In the complex dance that is the accommodations…