When Oversight Went Awry: Congress and Intelligence in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Congress’ intelligence oversight has gone off the rails. The legislative branch has taken its constitutional responsibilities of surveying and guiding national intelligence and instead practiced rampant partisanship. The formerly bipartisan and sober intelligence committees have become a political battleground for most of the twenty-first century, although each body will occasionally exhibit rationality and responsibility. Congress began by treating intelligence as another issue to be addressed in the context of contemporary politics. In the Trump era, intelligence itself became a central battleground, and the oversight structure was the forum for a presidential impeachment. Seen in three phases, intelligence oversight in Congress has gone from partisanship (2003–2004) to hyperpartisanship (2004–2014) to intermittent dysfunction (2017–present). This assessment considers Congress’ intelligence oversight through numerous case studies and offers positive examples for reform.