Congress
Inspector General Reform on the Table
Bob Bauer, Jack Goldsmith Tue, Oct 5, 2021, 3:23 PM
A selective guide to the upcoming debates on inspector general reform
Latest in oversight
Campaign 2020
How to Ensure That Trump Preserves Official Documents
Brian Greer Fri, Nov 6, 2020, 2:39 PM
Congress and ordinary citizens should take steps now to deter the Trump administration from destroying evidence of wrongdoing.
Cyber & Technology
The Devil Is in the Data
Alex Engler Wed, Sep 9, 2020, 3:58 PM
Government agencies need to be able to access the datasets that drive the tech sector.
Biodefense
Department of Defense Report Finds Laboratory Safety and Security Deficiencies
Matt Gluck Thu, Aug 6, 2020, 10:58 AM
A 2016 Department of Defense report identified several deficiencies in biosafety and biosecurity policies and procedures in Defense Department laboratories. A recent follow-up report found that some problems persist.
congressional oversight
Congress Should Investigate the Trump Administration’s Coronavirus Response
Charlie Martel Mon, Jun 1, 2020, 8:57 AM
The administration’s floundering response to the pandemic, along with its efforts to limit oversight through existing mechanisms, provides ample evidence of the need for a congressional probe.
oversight
White House Counsel Responds to Inspector General Firings
Elliot Setzer Wed, May 27, 2020, 11:49 AM
Sen. Chuck Grassley on May 26 released a five-page response from White House counsel Pat Cipollone intended to explain President Trump's firing of inspectors general Michael Atkinson and Steve Linick. Cipollone’s letter states that Trump had lost confidence in the inspectors general for the intelligence community and the State Department, and that in the case of Linick he was following Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recommendation to remove the inspector general from the position.
The Ukraine Connection
House Chairmen Subpoena Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Jacob Schulz Sat, Sep 28, 2019, 1:16 PM
The chairmen of the three House committees—Oversight and Reform, Foreign Affairs, and Intelligence—issued a subpeona to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to produce documents related to the Trump administration's interractions with officials associated with the Ukrainian government.
House Committee on Oversight and Reform
Documents: White House Overturned Security Clearance Denials, House Oversight Committee Says
Mikhaila Fogel Mon, Apr 1, 2019, 10:56 AM
Today the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a memorandum detailing an interview held with Tricia Newbold, the adjudications manager in the non-partisan White House Personnel Security Office. Newbold, who is described in the document as a "whistleblower," told bipartisan committee staff that her office issued 25 denials of security clearances overturned by the White House.
L'Affaire Russe
Documents: House Request for Trump-Putin Meeting Information and White House Response
Mikhaila Fogel Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 2:56 PM
On March 4, the chairmen of the House committees on Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Reform sent a request to acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney for information regarding a Washington Post report that President Trump sought to conceal notes of interpreters and linguists following meetings with Russian Presi
Intelligence Oversight
A Path Forward for Post-Trump Reforms
Ned Price, Chuck Rosenberg Mon, Nov 26, 2018, 11:58 AM
The election of a Democratic House of Representatives begins the process of holding President Trump accountable and brings into focus how, in the years to come, Americans should think about repairing the damage he inflicted. To us, Trump’s abuse of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies—where we recently worked—has echoes of the era that culminated in President Nixon’s resignation. But the events of the years after Nixon resigned hold important lessons for the current moment, as well.