American Oversight

Publish Date: January 13, 2020 In a court filing on Monday, the Department of Energy agreed to search for and release multiple categories of Ukraine-related records to American Oversight, prioritizing any records of former Secretary Rick Perry’s communications with high-level Ukrainian officials, associates of Rudy Giuliani, and outside groups associated with U.S. energy interests in […]

It’s been a week since the drone strike that killed Iran’s Maj. Gen Qasem Soleimani, but the justifications provided by the administration have still not satisfied those concerned about the Trump administration’s posture toward Iran — including members of Congress. On Thursday, the House approved a war powers resolution to limit President Donald Trump’s ability […]

Publish Date: January 10, 2020 Late on Friday night, the State Department released 71 pages of Ukraine-related records to American Oversight, including text messages of Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine, and his calendars. You can view the documents here.  Volker’s calendars, while sparsely populated, cover a date range of March to September […]

The past week of escalating tension with Iran has provoked grave concerns not just about the prospect of military conflict, but about President Donald Trump’s ability to take the country to war without the approval of the legislative branch. Questions about the legality of the strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani have swirled along […]

On Wednesday evening, the State Department released 42 pages of records in response to American Oversight’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking a range of documents related to the Trump administration’s dealings with Ukraine.  View the documents here  The production includes several heavily redacted emails from senior State Department officials. Among the documents are a […]

This article was originally published on Just Security. By AUSTIN EVERSExecutive Director, American Oversight With the Trump administration waging a total blockade on producing documents to Congress, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has become the only vehicle available to force the release of records related to the Ukraine scandal. For those interested in transparency and […]

The extremist views of White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller — the man behind many of the administration’s hardline immigration policies — have come under renewed condemnation in recent weeks. Last month, Kamala Harris and 26 other senators signed a letter urging President Donald Trump to fire Miller after emails released by the Southern Poverty […]

Former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has now been out of office for a year and a half, but records obtained by American Oversight provide new details about his penchant for taxpayer-funded luxury travel — including, specifically, the existence of a previously unreported extra SUV. Pruitt resigned in July 2019 after a steady stream of spending […]

A recurring theme of 2019, a year that began with a new House majority and a record-long partial government shutdown, was President Donald Trump’s disdain for constitutional checks and balances, specifically his blanket obstruction of congressional oversight. In January, the administration was making excuses and blaming its failure to respond to requests on the shutdown. […]

EN ESPAÑOL American Oversight launched the State Accountability Project in March 2019 with the goal of shedding light on voter suppression and election issues in Texas, Georgia and Florida. Over the last nine months, we have worked in collaboration with local organizations in all three states to root out key election issues and to learn […]

EN ESPAÑOL American Oversight launched the State Accountability Project in March 2019 with the goal of shedding light on voter suppression and election issues in Texas, Georgia, and Florida. Over the last nine months, we have worked in collaboration with local organizations in all three states to root out key election issues and to learn […]

American Oversight launched the State Accountability Project in March 2019 with the goal of shedding light on voter suppression and election issues in Texas, Georgia, and Florida. Over the last nine months, we have worked in collaboration with local organizations in all three states to root out key election issues and to learn how best […]

On Wednesday night, the House voted to impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.  The obstruction charge, which was the second article of impeachment, passed 229 to 198 and involved the Trump White House’s refusal to comply with Congress’s legitimate and constitutional oversight powers. Those powers are essential to our […]

Publish Date: December 21, 2019 Late on Friday evening, the Department of Defense released five pages of records to American Oversight — including emails sent by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper — in response to the watchdog group’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking records related to the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to […]

Obstruction of Congress is one of two articles of impeachment the House is voting on today. Here’s why it matters — and why President Trump’s conduct has met that standard. The United States has three separate, co-equal branches of government. Co-equal is the key point here. To prevent our country from becoming a monarchy or […]

Publish Date: December 17, 2019 On Tuesday, American Oversight sued the State Department for records of communications about Trump Organization properties sent by officials at U.S. embassies in a dozen countries. President Donald Trump’s real-estate business — from which he has refused to financially divest — has properties around the world, from Israel to Indonesia, […]

White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller has been behind some of the administration’s harshest anti-immigration policies, reportedly installing handpicked appointees with similar views across the administration. Now, emails obtained by American Oversight and reported on by Rolling Stone provide a glimpse of how one of those advisers worked with Miller to promote that anti-immigration agenda. […]

Publish Date: December 12, 2019 (Photos courtesy of IMF, Gage Skidmore) American Oversight filed a pair of lawsuits on Wednesday for Treasury Department records as part of its investigation of ties between administration officials and a Russian company that had announced a $200 million investment in a Kentucky aluminum plant. The lawsuits seek communications between […]

Publish Date: December 11, 2019 A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the government’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that the administration had committed a serious violation of federal records laws after a 2017 meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting between the two heads of state took place at […]

On Tuesday, the House Intelligence Committee released its report on the impeachment inquiry, detailing evidence of President Donald Trump’s abuse of office and obstruction of congressional oversight. In its report, the committee concluded that Trump had solicited foreign interference on his behalf in the 2020 election by pressuring Ukraine to announce an investigation into former […]