Government Accountability and Ethics

Government accountability and ethics covers how the United States keeps public power in check through oversight, transparency rules, ethics laws, and criminal investigations. This category explains how institutions like Congress, the Department of Justice (DOJ), inspectors general, and independent watchdogs operate in real-world disputes, from witnesses refusing congressional testimony to the role of independent oversight boards and the long-term impact of presidential profits highlighted in The $2 Billion Year and stock-trading transparency guides like How You Can See Your Congressperson’s Stock Trades.

Oversight, Investigations, and the Justice System

Congressional oversight powers and their limits come into focus in explainers on what lawmakers can compel from the attorney general, what happens when a governor refuses to answer Congress, and how tools like criminal contempt of Congress and referrals to DOJ in Congress Voted for Contempt. Now DOJ Decides Whether to Prosecute. actually function. Articles on gaps in the system, such as systemic weaknesses, highlight where current mechanisms fall short.