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Holding the Government Accountable
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Analysis

POGO and Brennan Center Call for Concurrent Investigations

Photo Credit: Stephen Melkisethian/Flickr

On August 14, The Hill published an op-ed by the Project On Government Oversight Executive Director Danielle Brian and the co-director of the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program, Faiza Patel, on why concurrent investigations by Congress and a Special Counsel are both possible and necessary.

Currently, Special Counsel Robert Mueller III is charged with investigating Russian involvement in the 2016 US presidential election, but Congress has the ability—and the duty—to do so as well. Both POGO and the Brennan Center recently released reports on this topic.

They elaborate in The Hill:

“As part of this investigation, Congress needs to provide the public with the facts, and then grapple with the underlying issues. Unlike a special prosecutor, Congress can explore not only whether the law was broken but also whether possible ethical violations require new laws. For example, Congressional investigators can ask how to strengthen the Foreign Agents Registration Act. They could also determine steps to increase protections for the integrity of elections.”

Read the full op-ed here.