Security Assistance
82 Articles

Sen. Van Hollen Calls for Paoletta to Relinquish Role as OMB’s Top Ethics Official
Mark Paoletta, the general counsel at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), needs to recuse himself from ongoing inquiries into the Trump administration’s withholding of…

GAO Decided Trump’s Hold on Ukraine Funding Was Illegal and It Wasn’t a Tough Call
In addition to the larger implications GAO's decision has for the Senate impeachment trial, a close reading of yesterday's report provides some important new insights.

Exclusive: Unredacted Ukraine Documents Reveal Extent of Pentagon’s Legal Concerns
Just Security has viewed unredacted emails, which tell the behind-the-scenes story of the defense and budget officials who had to carry out the president’s unexplained hold on…

Exclusive: White House Ignored Pentagon Warning on Ukraine Funding
The Pentagon warned the White House over the summer that if the Ukraine funding wasn’t released by August 6, DoD would be at risk of violating the law.

Trump Views U.S. Taxpayer Dollars As His Personal Checkbook
For Trump, congressionally appropriated taxpayer dollars are his to do with as he pleases.

Why Support for U.N.-backed Anti-Corruption Commission in Guatemala is Vital to U.S. Interests
The ongoing constitutional crisis in Guatemala underscores concerns that corruption continues to permeate high levels of the government.

Impunity for U.S.-Funded Warlords in Afghanistan
The U.S. is unable or unwilling to stop funding units in Afghanistan that engage in serious human rights violations, according to a new SIGAR report. Lt. Gen. Abdul Raziq, the…

Rethinking US Security Assistance Beyond the Leahy Law
An American special operations soldier observing Burkina Faso troops practice clearing a vehicle. I just had the pleasure of speaking alongside Colonel Carl Kelly, Chief of Staff…

The “Leahy Law” Prohibiting US Assistance to Human Rights Abusers: Pulling Back the Curtain
With almost weekly news reports of US support for foreign governments with track records of gross human rights abuse—think torture in Yemen by Emirati security forces, violations…

Guest Post: US Dollars and Kenya’s ‘Disappeared’
Just over a year ago, in May , 2015, Kenyan Border Patrol police arrested Hussein Ali Abdullahi from his shop in Wajir, northeastern Kenya, and took him to Wajir military camp.…