Center for American Progress

The country needs the House’s oversight now more than ever
In the News

The country needs the House’s oversight now more than ever

With the close of the impeachment trial, John Podesta makes the case that House Democrats must continue to shed light on President Donald Trump's corruption and deter further damage to U.S. democratic institutions.

Now that the Senate impeachment trial is over, some Democrats will counsel that if the House continues its oversight of the Trump administration, they will be seen as bitterly vindictive and obsessed with attacking President Trump. Ironically, the advice will echo the president’s own argument. That would be a deeply dangerous mistake. The House’s unique ability to shine a light on this administration’s corruption is needed now more than ever.

The House is the only governmental body with the power and will to expose Trump’s corruption. Unfortunately, the other institutions that were supposed to hold a corrupt president accountable have protected him instead. The attorney general, America’s chief law enforcement officer, has run an interference campaign to protect Trump from accountability. Lawyers at the White House and Office of Management and Budget have rendered legal opinions enabling presidential actions that the independent Government Accountability Office have found to be unlawful, and that constitutional scholars on the left and right have said are dangerous and unprecedented.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Washington Post. Click here to view the full article.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors