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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

House Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing: Department of Justice

Original title: OVERSIGHT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

January 1, 2018

Department of Justice Congressional Oversight Attorney General 2016 Election Interference Government Accountability

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing serves as the primary mechanism for Congress to exercise over the Department of Justice, impacting how the agency accounts for its policy decisions and investigations to the public.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Department of Justice

The agency is subject to congressional questioning and oversight regarding its operations and impartiality.

House Judiciary Committee Members

Members are responsible for questioning the Attorney General and reviewing the department's performance.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2018.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Judiciary Committee held an hearing on November 14, 2017, to question Attorney General Jeff Sessions regarding the operations and administration of the Department of Justice. The session focused on the department's impartiality and addressed inquiries concerning the 2016 presidential election.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on November 14, 2017, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
The session was convened by Chairman Bob Goodlatte to conduct annual oversight of the Department of Justice.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions provided oral testimony to the committee.
The committee members questioned the Attorney General regarding his involvement with Russia and the 2016 presidential election.
Chairman Goodlatte criticized previous Attorneys General Loretta Lynch and Eric Holder for their past testimony and transparency.
The hearing record includes written questions submitted for the record to the Attorney General.
The committee authorized the chair to declare recesses at any time during the proceedings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this hearing?

The hearing is an annual session where the House Judiciary Committee questions the Attorney General about the Department of Justice's activities and administration.

Who testified at this hearing?

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was the primary witness.

What specific topics were discussed?

The hearing covered general DOJ and specific questions regarding the Attorney General's knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Why It Matters

This hearing serves as the primary mechanism for Congress to exercise over the Department of Justice, impacting how the agency accounts for its policy decisions and investigations to the public.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Shift in Oversight Tone

The Chairman explicitly contrasted the current hearing's expectations with the perceived lack of transparency from previous administrations' Attorneys General.

Bob Goodlatte Loretta Lynch Eric Holder

Connected Entities

personJohn Conyers, Jr.“Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee”Map →

personBob Goodlatte“Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee”Map →

organizationDepartment of Justice“The federal agency under review”Map →

organizationHouse Judiciary Committee“Congressional committee conducting the oversight”Map →

personJeff Sessions“Attorney General of the United States”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy80
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment60
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz75
Current news / social attention level

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