Office of Legal Counsel (OLC)
OLC Releases Opinions on the President’s Obligations Related to NAFTA and the Open Skies Treaty
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel released two opinions concerning foreign relations law.
Latest in Documents
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel released two opinions concerning foreign relations law.
In a letter addressed to the Department of Defense Acting Inspector General Sean O’Donnell, Sens. Mark Warner and Jack Reed have requested that the acting inspector general “investigate the process for the recent selection” of the newly selected General Counsel to the National Security Agency (NSA).
Senator Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a report yesterday titled, “The Cost of Trump’s Foreign Policy: Damage and Consequences for U.S. and Global Security.” The 74-page report—researched by democratic committee staffers for more than a year—is broken into four chapters, ending with findings and recommendations. The executive summary states, “This report takes stock of the damage President Trump’s foreign policy has inflicted on U.S.
The White House has sent a notice to Congress outlining its legal and policy justifications for the Jan. 2 airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. This disclosure is a legally mandated reporting requirement introduced through Section 1264 of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, a measure intended to increase transparency in U.S. national security policy.
The Justice Department argued in an amicus brief before the Supreme Court that four subpoenas by congressional committees for President Trump’s financial records are unconstitutional, on the grounds that the committees did not make a “heightened showing, both of a legitimate legislative purpose for the subpoenas and of the need for the information sought.” The filing also accuses the committees of using their investigatory powers to harass the president and distract him from his con
The White House released "Peace to Prosperity," President Trump’s blueprint for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The plan guarantees that Israel would control a unified Jerusalem, and would not require it to uproot any settlements in the West Bank. The proposal would grant limited sovereignty to the Palestinian state, but prevent it from establishing a formal army or air force. The plan can be viewed here and below.
Watch the impeachment trial here.
Watch the impeachment trial here.
On Monday night, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.) released his proposed rules for the Senate impeachment trial. The resolution can be found here and below.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday to withdraw his guilty plea of making false statements to the FBI regarding his contacts with Russia. The motion cites the government’s “bad faith, vindictiveness, and breach of the plea agreement” as reasons for withdrawing the plea and requests a delay of Flynn’s sentencing by 30 days, from Jan. 28 to Feb. 27. The motion is available here and below.