The U.S. House Ethics Committee's scope of investigation includes failure to properly disclose required information, violations of campaign finance laws, solicitation or receipt of improper gifts, receiving special favors, and allegations of sexual misconduct.
November 19, 2025
high
procedural
Common categories of alleged misconduct that congressional ethics investigations address.
The U.S. House Ethics Committee can establish investigative subcommittees to examine allegations against members of Congress.
November 19, 2025
high
structural
Committee organizational capability used to conduct focused inquiries.
U.S. House Ethics Committee investigations can take months or even years to complete.
November 19, 2025
high
temporal
Duration of ethics investigations into alleged misconduct by lawmakers.
U.S. House Ethics Committee investigations can involve subpoenaing thousands of documents and interviewing hundreds of witnesses.
November 19, 2025
high
procedural
Scale of evidence collection and witness interviews in major congressional ethics probes.
The House Oversight Committee is a congressional committee with authority to conduct investigations and to obtain and release documents as part of its oversight responsibilities.
November 18, 2025
high
institutional
Describes the general oversight role and document-release capability of the House Oversight Committee.
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General has warned that subpoenas for lawmakers' phone records should be used only in narrow circumstances because such subpoenas can risk chilling Congress's oversight functions.
high
recommendation
Summarizes an Inspector General recommendation about the limited circumstances for subpoenaing members of Congress' communication records.
Congressional oversight requests commonly seek communications, architectural plans, detailed project budgets, lists of donors, and legal justifications.
high
procedural
Types of documents and information typically requested during legislative oversight inquiries.