Congressional Oversight
435 Articles

Questioning Michael Cohen: An Advanced Course in Congressional Investigations
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, has announced his willingness to testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee and the House and Senate intelligence…

So This Is What Congress’ Getting Involved in Foreign Affairs Looks Like
Analysts and scholars have long wondered what it would look like if Congress reasserted itself in foreign affairs. It’s a role that Just Security Founding Editor (and my former…

Will Executive Privilege Block Congress’ Access to Trump-Putin Helsinki Meeting Notes?
Executive privilege looms large as Congress seeks translator's notes about the off-books Trump-Putin meeting in Helsinki. But that is only the beginning of the separation of powers…

The Whitaker Hearing: Potential Executive Privilege and Subpoena Fireworks
It appears acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker allowed an important deadline to pass on the eve of his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Jerrold Nadler…

Avoiding the Next Yemen: Applying Hard Lessons for Security Partnerships
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen, wrought by a conflict entering its fourth year, has called into question the nature and purpose of American security partnership with Saudi Arabia.…

What the Constitution Says About Trump’s Obstruction of Pelosi’s Afghanistan Trip
President Donald Trump’s retaliation against Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s withdrawing the State of the Union invitation — denying Pelosi’s use of military aircraft to travel…

New House Rules Promote Aggressive Congressional Oversight
The new Democratic majority has taken formal control of the House and has fortified congressional oversight power in its new rules package. At the same time, a lot of additional…

Mueller’s Investigation May Be Coming to an End, But Congress Is Just Getting Started
On January 3, 2019, a new Congress will head to work with a monumental — but not unprecedented — job to tackle. Close observers of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation…

Explainer: The Comey Subpoena Fight–A Face-Saving Surrender and Testimony Deal
Former FBI Director James Comey appears to have capitulated in his legal effort to fight a congressional subpoena to give a closed deposition, but he also walked away with some…

U.S. House Investigations v. White House Slow-Walk: Scenarios
Democrats in the U.S. House are preparing to wield their new majority power in January. While they lack the control of both chambers necessary to push through legislation, they…

Can Congress Subpoena Trump to Testify?
Now that the Democrats have won control of the House of Representatives, there will be a flood of congressional investigations of waste, fraud, and abuse within the Trump administration,…

Russia Investigation Leads Back in Play under Democrats
Following the Democratic takeover of the House in January, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is expected to chair the House intelligence committee. His leadership will come after a spectacle…