who is the president's lawyer and oversees the fbi and justice department.

by Mr. Irving Herzog PhD 3 min read

the attorney general

Who investigates and prosecutes the President?

The FBI’s activities are closely and regularly scrutinized by a variety of entities, including Congress, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Director of National Intelligence.

Does the President nominate the FBI Director?

Apr 12, 2022 · A federal law enforcing the laws of the United States is assigned to the Department of Justice – or “DOJ”. United States Attorney General Thomas Perez is part of a government that employs over 100,000 lawyers, special agents, and other staff across all divisions of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Who is the head of the US Department of Justice?

Apr 06, 2022 · Christopher A. is currently the director of the agency. appointed by President Donald Trump after receiving confirmation by the US Senate on August 2, 2017. Former Director James Brennan took the helm of the Department of Justice on August 9, 2017.

Why does the FBI report to the Justice Department?

Mar 27, 2017 · FBI. Power: Investigative. The FBI is part of the Justice Department, but it acts with autonomy. It can start independent investigations into potential violations of criminal (not civil) statutes, though it depends on the attorney general and DOJ prosecutors to file charges.

Who is higher than the FBI?

Comparison chartCIAStands forCentral Intelligence AgencyIntroductionThe Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the United States federal government, tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world.10 more rows

Does the president control the FBI?

The FBI Director is appointed for a single 10-year term by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate....Director of the Federal Bureau of InvestigationAppointerThe President with Senate advice and consentTerm length10 years, renewable (only by the Senate)10 more rows

Who investigates the federal government?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) enforces federal law, and investigates a variety of criminal activity including terrorism, cybercrime, white collar crimes, public corruption, civil rights violations, and other major crimes.

Is the FBI under Justice Department?

Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence.

Does FBI report to Attorney General?

Within the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI is responsible to the attorney general, and it reports its findings to U.S. Attorneys across the country. The FBI's intelligence activities are overseen by the Director of National Intelligence.

Who runs the Justice Department?

the Attorney GeneralMeet the Attorney General As the nation's chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Garland leads the Justice Department's 115,000 employees, who work across the United States and in more than 50 countries worldwide.Apr 6, 2022

Who is in charge of the FBI?

Christopher WrayThe FBI is led by a Director, who is appointed by the U.S. President and confirmed by the Senate for a term not to exceed 10 years. The current Director is Christopher Wray. You can find information on all Directors who have served the FBI on our History website.

Who reports to the U.S. attorney general?

President of the United StatesUnited States Attorney GeneralMember ofCabinet National Security CouncilReports toPresident of the United StatesSeatRobert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building Washington, D.C.AppointerPresident of the United States with United States Senate advice and consent13 more rows

How do I report FBI misconduct?

Report suspected violations of federal law to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Submit a tip online. Contact your local FBI Office or call toll-free at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Who is the head of the Department of Justice 2021?

Merrick GarlandThe department is headed by the U.S. Attorney General, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current attorney general is Merrick Garland, who was sworn on March 11, 2021.

What president was responsible for starting the FBI?

President Clinton designated the FBI as lead law enforcement agency in the case. The U.S. Marshals Service, the Treasury Department, and many other state and local agencies contributed to the investigation.

Who makes up the DOJ?

The Department of Justice – or “DOJ” – is the agency responsible for enforcing the federal law of the United States. The Attorney General of the United States – appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate – heads the DOJ with its more than 100,000 attorneys, special agents, and other staff.

Which agency has the power to investigate and prosecute potential criminal violations by all public officials, including the President?

The Justice Department is the one agency with the power to investigate and prosecute potential criminal violations by all public officials, including the president. The Public Integrity Section often receives referrals on conflicts of interest.

Who is the president's legal adviser?

The president's legal advisers — led by general counsel Don McGahn — are the team meant to prevent any potential ethics violations by White House staff. But unlike inspectors general — who don't take direction of agency chiefs — the White House lawyers "generally act at the direction [of] and for the president," says Kathleen Clark, who teaches government ethics law at Washington University in St. Louis. "The president is their client."

What is the role of the Department of Justice?

The U.S. Department of Justice is one of several parts of the government that have the power to hold the president and his appointees accountable on ethics. President Trump continues to own hundreds of businesses around the world, and he has staffed his administration with wealthy people who have ties to a complex web of companies.

Who can subpoena the executive branch?

Along with the ultimate power to impeach a president, lawmakers can subpoena executive branch documents and officials, making them one of the most powerful investigators when it comes to the actions of the president individually and the executive branch broadly.

What is OGE in the Watergate scandal?

OGE, formed in the fallout of the Watergate scandal, reviews financial disclosures of Cabinet appointees and negotiates ethics agreements — often involving sales of assets — to avoid the influence of personal financial holdings on policy decisions.

Is the FBI part of the Justice Department?

The FBI is part of the Justice Department, but it acts with autonomy. It can start independent investigations into potential violations of criminal (not civil) statutes, though it depends on the attorney general and DOJ prosecutors to file charges.

What is GAO audit?

GAO is an independent arm of Congress that keeps account of how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars — a sort of internal government auditor or accountant. When reviewing spending by agencies, GAO's audits are typically broad — not focusing on individuals or looking for wrongdoing.

What is the Department of Justice?

The United States Department of Justice(DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive departmentof the United Statesgovernment tasked with the enforcement of federal lawand administration of justicein the United States. It is equivalent to the justiceor interior ministriesof other countries.

When was the Attorney General's Office established?

The office of the Attorney Generalwas established by the Judiciary Act of 1789as a part-time job for one person, but grew with the bureaucracy. At one time, the Attorney General gave legal advice to the U.S. Congress, as well as the President; however, in 1819, the Attorney General began advising Congress alone to ensure a manageable workload.[11]

Who was the first attorney general of the United States?

President Ulysses S. Grantsigned the bill into law on June 22, 1870. [14] Grant appointed Amos T. Akermanas Attorney General and Benjamin H. Bristowas America's first solicitor general the same week that Congress created the Department of Justice. The Department's immediate function was to preserve civil rights.

When was the federal prison system created?

Federal Bureau of Prisons(BOP) – the Three Prisons Act of 1891 created the federal prison system. Congress created the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1930 by Pub. L. No. 71–218, 46 Stat. 325, signed into law by President Hoover on May 14, 1930.

Who resigned from the FBI?

Wray formally asked for Boente's resignation, but the decision to end his tenure at the FBI came from Attorney General William Barr's Justice Department, which oversees the FBI, according to two sources.

Who was the FBI Director who dismissed Robert Boente?

Boente was asked to resign on Friday and two sources familiar with the decision to dismiss him said it came from high levels of the Justice Department rather than directly from FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Who is Julia Ainsley?

Julia Ainsley. Julia Ainsley is a correspondent covering the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice for the NBC News Investigative Unit. Pete Williams. Pete Williams is an NBC News correspondent who covers the Justice Department and the Supreme Court, based in Washington.

The FBI doesn't report directly to the president, at least in the way he's implying

By law, the president does nominate the FBI director, and that nomination is subject to Senate confirmation.

FBI directors are expected to conduct politically independent investigations

While it's true that the attorney general is part of Trump's Cabinet, the president's remarks that the FBI director answers directly to him ignores a longstanding precedent of distance between the executive branch and an independent FBI .

Trump appeared to provide an alternative version of history in his Nixon reference

"When Nixon came along... out of courtesy, the FBI started reporting to the Department of Justice," Trump said. "But there was nothing official, there was nothing from Congress."

Trump's reference of Nixon appears to miss the point entirely

Even though they report to the attorney general, FBI directors have held enormous power throughout history. Hoover was so powerful that he often paid little heed to the attorney general, to whom he reported.

Now, all eyes are on Trump's new FBI director

Trump has nominated a new FBI director, Chris Wray — and his comments in the interview are already raising major questions about whether he considers Comey's replacement as a direct report.

Congress

Department of Justice

  • Power: Investigative, Disciplinary The Justice Department is the one agency with the power to investigate and prosecute potential criminal violations by all public officials, including the president. The Public Integrity Section often receives referrals on conflicts of interest. "Most paths lead to the Justice Department," says Peter Henning, law p...
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Office of Government Ethics

  • Power: Advisory OGE, formed in the fallout of the Watergate scandal, reviews financial disclosures of Cabinet appointees and negotiates ethics agreements — often involving sales of assets — to avoid the influence of personal financial holdings on policy decisions. OGE also oversees an ethics program that vets thousands of federal employees across agencies to review their financi…
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FBI

  • Power: Investigative The FBI is part of the Justice Department, but it acts with autonomy. It can start independent investigations into potential violations of criminal (not civil) statutes, though it depends on the attorney general and DOJ prosecutors to file charges. FBI Director James Comey has confirmedthat the agency is investigating "the nature of any links" between Trump's preside…
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Inspectors General

  • Power:Investigative, Advisory Virtually all major federal agencies — though not the White House — have an independent, in-house watchdog known as an inspector general. That means, with the exception of White House officials, most Cabinet secretaries and other key staff in departments and agencies would fall under the purview of one of these internal investigators. The same goe…
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White House Counsel's Office

  • Power:Advisory, Investigative The president's legal advisers — led by general counsel Don McGahn— are the team meant to prevent any potential ethics violations by White House staff. But unlike inspectors general — who don't take direction of agency chiefs — the White House lawyers "generally act at the direction [of] and for the president," says Kathleen Clark, who teaches gover…
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Government Accountability Office

  • Power:Investigative, Advisory GAO is an independent arm of Congress that keeps account of how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars — a sort of internal government auditor or accountant. When reviewing spending by agencies, GAO's audits are typically broad — not focusing on individuals or looking for wrongdoing. GAO is the office that looks into potential abu…
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State Attorneys General

  • Power:Investigative State AGs have limited power when it comes to federal officials. But given Trump's ongoing ownership of hundreds of businesses — and his advisers and staff keeping some business ties — state attorneys general have purview over those financial connections. For instance, the Trump Organization has corporate registration in the states of New York, Florida a…
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