Investigations & Topics - American Oversight

Image of Donald Trump with a red filter.

Trump’s Retaliation Against His Opponents

The investigations and prosecutions of James Comey, Letitia James, and members of Congress.

Trump administration accountabilityweaponization of government

Updated July 13, 2026

Donald Trump sitting at desk with papers flying around him.

Trump and the Presidential Records Act

Trump is trying to ignore a decades-old law — but we’re fighting back.

Updated July 8, 2026

How Voter Suppression Tactics Prevent Fair Elections

President Trump and his allies are trying to make it harder for Americans to vote. We’re fighting back.

voting rights

Updated June 29, 2026

Image of ICE agents with guns arresting a person.

ICE’s Expansion Under Trump

What we know, and what key information we’re still missing.

Updated June 10, 2026

Image of Elon Musk shaking hands with Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Everything We Know About DOGE (And Why We Don’t Know More)

We have been investigating the Department of Government Efficiency since Trump created it, even as it has dodged transparency laws.

dismantling federal agenciesTrump administration accountability

Updated May 11, 2026

Image of federal troops in a city crosswalk.

Trump’s Use of the National Guard in American Cities

What we know, and what key information we’re still missing.

Updated April 28, 2026

Voter ID Laws

How voter identification laws make it harder for everyday individuals — especially people of color, queer communities, and those with lower incomes…

voting rights

Updated April 17, 2026

The Trump Administration’s Economic Policy

How Trump’s policies — tariffs, tax breaks, and cuts to government programs — are straining resources for everyday Americans while enriching the ul…

DOGETrump administration accountabilityTrump businesses

Updated February 9, 2026

DHS’s Text Message Preservation Policy

What we know, and what key information we’re still missing.

document preservation requirementsgovernment transparencyTrump administration accountability

Updated November 25, 2025

The Trump Administration’s Citizenship Data System

What we know, and what key information we’re still missing.

Trump administration accountabilityvoting rights

Updated September 2, 2025

Trump’s Immigrant Registration Requirement

The Trump administration has revived the WWII-era law used to force Japanese Americans into internment camps as part of its effort to carry out mas…

immigrationTrump administration accountability

Updated July 24, 2025

Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric and Election Denialism

The specter of votes being illegally cast by noncitizens has become a new conservative talking point intended to further doubts in election results…

election denialimmigration

Updated July 17, 2025

The Expansion of Local Law Enforcement Power to Carry Out Trump’s Mass Deportations

As the Trump administration looks for new ways to achieve its political and xenophobic goal of deporting 1 million people a year, it is deputizing …

constitutional sheriffs movementimmigrationweaponization of government

Updated June 30, 2025

The Weaponization of the Government Against Civil Society

As it tries to silence dissent and punish opposition, the Trump administration is attacking the educational institutions, legal advocacy groups, an…

civil rightsTrump administration accountability

Updated June 4, 2025

Abusive Conditions and Private Industry Ties to Mass Immigration Detention

As the Trump administration moves to drastically increase the number of immigrants held in detention, it has turned to problematic solutions for it…

immigrationTrump administration accountability

Updated May 8, 2025

The Trump Administration’s Dismantling of Federal Agencies and Threats to Important Social Services

The Trump administration is systematically dismantling important federal agencies, jeopardizing access to crucial programs, and undermining civil r…

dismantling federal agencies

Updated April 24, 2025

Attacks on Gender-Affirming Care

American Oversight is investigating the national rise in legislation targeting gender-affirming care as part of its larger investigation into attac…

gender-affirming careLGBTQ rights

Updated April 18, 2025

The Trump Administration’s Use of Signal and Other Ephemeral Messaging Platforms

High-level Trump administration officials are conducting work — including classified coordination of military attacks — on secretive, private, and …

document preservation requirementsDOGE

Updated April 3, 2025

Trump Appointees’ Questionable Email Practices

Trump officials have used personal accounts or improper platforms for government communications on multiple occasions during both Trump administrat…

document preservation requirementsTrump appointees

Updated April 2, 2025

Trump’s Hostile Takeover of the National Archives — and Our Nation’s History

As his administration takes a sledgehammer to the federal government, the Trump administration is threatening the independence and functioning of t…

Attacks on FOIAdismantling federal agenciesdocument preservation requirements

Updated March 12, 2025

Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Illegal Dismantling of USAID

The reckless decimation of USAID by Donald Trump and Elon Musk put thousands of employees out of jobs and left aid recipients around the world with…

dismantling federal agencies

Updated February 27, 2025

Trump’s Illegal Firing of Inspectors General

Less than one week into President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration abruptly fired more than a dozen federal watchdogs. The late-night…

dismantling federal agencies

Updated February 25, 2025

The Election Denial Movement’s Misguided Push to Hand-Count Ballots

Election officials across the country are being pressured to use hand counts to confirm election results. With experts having repeatedly warned tha…

election administrationelection denialvoting rights

Updated September 10, 2024

Conservative Efforts to Sabotage Ballot Initiatives

In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, people across the country have gathered signatures in support of ballot initiatives that would ensur…

reproductive rightsvoting rights

Updated August 28, 2024