Congressional oversight committees

Congressional oversight committees have the authority to issue subpoenas to obtain documents from private estates or third parties as part of investigations.

Congressional oversight investigations commonly request documents such as administrative claims filed with executive agencies, correspondence between private counsel and agency attorneys, communications between the White House and agency officials, internal agency memoranda or legal analyses, and records indicating the current status of claims or matters under review.

Congressional oversight investigations can become partisan and often involve mutual accusations such as mischaracterizing witness testimony, selective release of documents, and targeted redactions.