Investigations & Topics

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…

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 …

Trump Appointees’ Questionable Email Practices

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

Exposing the Work of Elon Musk and DOGE

Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” the office carrying out the Trump administration’s attacks on the federal government and civil s…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Investigating State Support for Anti-Abortion Centers

American Oversight is investigating the proliferation of “crisis pregnancy centers,” which have received increased support from state governments s…

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…

Conservative States’ Migrant Transportation Programs

Governors in Florida, Texas, and Arizona have sent immigrants to states hundreds of miles away as part of an exploitative political stunt.

Efforts to Restrict Abortion Rights

American Oversight has filed dozens of public records requests in states across the country seeking communications and analyses about new or potent…

The Trump Administration’s Compliance with Document Preservation Laws

U.S. law requires the preservation of most White House and federal agency records.

Right-Wing Attacks on Education and Student Expression

Led by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, conservatives and Republican state leaders are attempting to prevent students from learning about race or gender …

Wisconsin’s Baseless Investigation of the 2020 Election

Following the 2020 election, Wisconsin joined a growing list of states where allies of former President Trump launched bogus “investigations” as pa…

The January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol

The heavily armed, Trump-incited mob attack of Jan. 6, 2021, was an attack not just on the U.S. Capitol building, but also on democracy and the rul…

Texas’s ‘Forensic Audit’ of the 2020 Election

In September, the Texas secretary of state’s office announced a “full forensic audit” of the 2020 election — just hours after former President Dona…

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Anti-Critical Race Theory Tip Line

American Oversight is investigating the system set up by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration to collect reports of “divisive” topics bein…

The Activist Network Eroding Trust in Democratic Elections

Embracing conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen, a nationwide network of Trump-allied activists aims to discredit democracy and und…

Conservative Attacks on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investing

Among the latest conservative culture wars is a crusade against environmental, social, and governance investing, a practice in which companies take…

The Radical Legal Theory Threatening Fair Election Administration

Partisan actors eager to tilt the election playing field in their favor are pushing a new tactic in their voter suppression toolkit: the independen…

The Conspiracy-Driven Push for States to Abandon ERIC Voter List Program

The number of states leaving the Electronic Registration Information Center — used to maintain up-to-date voter rolls — has risen as conservative l…

Attacks on LGBTQ Rights

A national rise in anti-LGBTQ legislation is threatening the rights of millions of people. American Oversight is seeking public records that shed l…

The Arizona Senate’s Partisan Audit of Maricopa County Election Results

Efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona culminated in an “audit” of votes cast in Maricopa County. The discredited e…

‘Remain in Mexico’ and Barriers to Seeking Asylum

American Oversight is investigating the influences behind some of the Trump administration’s harshest anti-immigration policy changes, including th…

Conditions in Migrant Detention Centers

State ‘Election Integrity’ Units and the Threat of Voter Intimidation

Anti-Immigration Opportunism in the Coronavirus Response

Efforts to Audit and Undermine the 2020 Election in Pennsylvania

Threats to Democracy in the States

The Constitutional Sheriffs Movement and Its Threat to Democracy

Pushing For Transparency in Georgia Election Administration

The Constitutional Sheriffs Movement and Election Denial

State-Led Immigration Enforcement Operations at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Top Texas Officials’ Failures of Transparency

Gun Lobby Influence On Responses to Mass Shootings

Maryland Gov. Hogan’s Use of Self-Destructing Messaging App

The ‘Alternate Electors’ Plot to Overturn the 2020 Election

Trump White House Control of Information During the Pandemic

Industry Influence at the Department of Agriculture During Pandemic

The Trump Administration’s Controversial ‘Operation Legend’ Program

Elaine Chao’s Family Business and Kentucky Favoritism

Georgia’s Voting Machines and Election Security

Political Interference at the U.S. Postal Service

Sonny Perdue’s Ties to His Family Business

Trump’s Mismanagement of North American Trade Negotiations

Wilbur Ross’s Web of Financial Conflicts

Trump’s Pressure Campaign on the Justice Department to Overturn 2020 Election Results

Trump’s Use of Presidential Clemency Powers

Defund Trump

Trump’s Interference in the FBI Headquarters Relocation Plan

The Trump Administration’s Contacts with Ukraine

Arizona’s Anti-Democracy Legislation

Early Pandemic Confusion at Federal and State Health Agencies

Law Enforcement’s Response to Nationwide Racial Justice Protests

Voter-ID Proposals in States Across the Country

Limiting Access to the Polls

Attacks on Voting Rights in Arizona

Outside Interference in New Hampshire Redistricting Reform

The ‘Burrowing In’ of Political Appointees

State Proposals to Restrict Protests

The February 2021 Texas Power Outage

Conservative Attorneys General Group’s Involvement in the Jan. 6 March to the Capitol

New York’s Nursing Home Data Discrepancies

Mike Pompeo’s Political Ambitions and Influences

As Variants Spread, States Reopen

The Spread of Coronavirus in Migrant Detention Facilities

Covid Relief Funds and Loans: Where Has The Money Gone?

The Pandemic’s Spread in Florida

Florida’s Inequitable Vaccine Rollout

Attacks on Absentee Voting During the 2020 Campaign

The Federal Government’s Pandemic Information-Sharing Systems

Combating Domestic Terrorism and Right-Wing Violent Extremism

Efforts to Undermine the 2020 Election Results

State and Local Officials’ Involvement in Jan. 6 Trump Rally and Capitol Attack

The Failed Texas Lawsuit Challenging 2020 Election Results

Trump’s Pressure on Georgia Officials to Overturn 2020 Election Results

Challenges in U.S. Vaccine Distribution

The Trump Administration’s Transgender Military Ban

Election Fraud Task Forces and the Threat of Voter Intimidation

Preserving Voting Rights in Kentucky

The Rush for a Covid-19 Vaccine

Trump’s Post-Impeachment Authoritarian Purges

Trump’s Potential Supreme Court Nominees

Jared Kushner’s Role in the Coronavirus Response

John Durham’s Politicized Investigation — And William Barr’s Role in It

Political Interference in the 2020 Census

Presidential Transition Transparency

Promotion of Covid-19 Treatments and Communications with Drug Companies

Rick Perry’s Energy Industry Connections — in the U.S. and Abroad

Testing Supply Failures

The Trump Administration’s Escalating Tension with Iran

The Trump Administration’s Poor Coordination with States on Pandemic Response

The Trump Administration’s Response to Coronavirus

The White House’s Covid-19 Outbreak

The White House’s Disregard of Early Warnings

Trump Administration Efforts on Behalf of Turkish Bank

Voting-Restriction Group’s Attempt to Purge Hundreds of Thousands from Georgia Voter Rolls

Efforts to Undermine Sanctuary Cities

Family Separation and the Detention of Immigrant Children

Parallel Investigations Initiative: Amplifying Congressional Oversight

The Pandemic in Prisons

Ben Carson’s Family Involvement at the Department of Housing and Urban Development

Russian Interference & Trump Administration Actions

Audit the Wall

Donald Trump’s Obstruction of Congressional Oversight

EPA’s Chemical Industry Agenda

Health Care: Repeal, Replace, and Sabotage

Insider Access at the Department of Education

Politicization of the Justice Department

Restoration of Voting Rights in Florida

State Government Contacts with Voting-Restriction Activists

Tax Reform: Uncovering the Backroom Deals

The Trump Administration’s Attempts to Weaken Affirmative Action

The Trump Administration’s Response to the Opioid Epidemic

Wisconsin’s Voter-Roll Purge

Uncovering the Truth About Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh

Former Acting Attorney General Whitaker’s Financial and Political Conflicts of Interest

Ivanka Trump’s and Jared Kushner’s Roles in the Administration

Loyalty Tests and Retaliation

Questionable $300 Million Puerto Rico Contract for Zinke-Linked Company

Scott Pruitt’s Mismanagement of the EPA

Swamp Airlines: Chartered Jets at Taxpayer Expense

Trump Cabinet Officials’ Office Renovations

Trump’s Political Appointees

Campaign Promises & Manufacturing Jobs

Defending the Public’s Right to Hold Government Accountable

Dunlap v. PACEI: Investigating the Voter Fraud Commission

Stephen Miller’s Influence on Immigration Policy — and Throughout the Administration

Ryan Zinke’s Unethical Leadership at Interior