Andy Wright on Oversight & Executive Privilege

In this episode, Andy Wright, Senior Fellow & Founding Editor of Just Security and Partner at K&L Gates, discusses his paper "Executive Privilege and Inspectors General." Wright begins by talking about the unique role of inspectors general as part of the executive branch organizational structure while simultaneously beholden to Congress as a creation of statute, placing them in directly within debates over the structure of powers between government branches. As part of the oversight responsibilities of inspectors general, they are in the possession of potentially confidential or executive privilege-eligible documents. He notes that this creates a difficult balance for inspectors general and Congress, where Congress can request documents that the executive branch refuses to deliver from the inspectors general. He notes that this creates a set of risks to executive privilege, and leads to chilling effects on future executive branch participation with inspectors general oversight actions. And he concludes by discussing what those in the courts, legislature, and executive branch should take away from his paper. Wright is on Twitter at @AndyMcCanse, and Just Security is on Twitter at @Just_Security.

This episode was hosted by Luce Nguyen, a college student and the co-founder of the Oberlin Policy Research Institute, an undergraduate public policy research organization based at Oberlin College. Nguyen is on Twitter at @NguyenLuce.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.