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Investigations

Congress has conducted investigations of malfeasance since the 1790s. In 1798 Congress authorized taking testimony under oath and established punishments for perjury. The House empowered its Committee on Manufactures "to send for persons and papers" relating to tariff legislation in 1827, and since then both houses have considered it their right to summon anyone, whether inside or outside the government, to testify. In 1857, Congress provided that reluctant witnesses could be held in contempt and tried by federal courts. Learn more below and on the Senate Historical Office page about Senate investigations.

 

Senate Investigations

Historically, successful Senate investigations have required a combination of persistence, diligence, expert staff, sharp questioning, good publicity, and some good luck.

Major Senate Investigations:  A Selected List

Senate Committee Investigates Titanic Disaster, 1912

Senate Investigates the "Teapot Dome" Scandal, April 15, 1922

"Merchants of Death" (Nye Committee), September 4, 1934

The Truman Committee, March 1, 1941

Kefauver Crime Committee Launched, May 3, 1950

Watergate Leaks Lead to Open Hearings, March 28, 1973

Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program

Is It True that Oliver North Said during the 1987 Iran-Contra Hearings Osama bin Laden Had Threatened His Life?


Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

Under the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , this subcommittee is responsible for matters relating to the efficiency and economy of operations of all branches of the government.

Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Home Page

Oral History of Ruth Young Watt, Chief Clerk, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, 1948-1979


McCarthy Hearings

During his two years as chairman on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations,   Senator Joseph McCarthy conducted headline-grabbing inquiries into allegations of Communist subversion and espionage in the U.S. government and defense industries. Senator McCarthy’s behavior eventually led to his December 1954 censure for conduct unbecoming a senator. Several of the oral histories on the Senate Historical Office web page contain discussions of Senator McCarthy; scan the transcripts for more information.

"Communists in Government Service," February 9, 1950

A Declaration of Conscience, June 1, 1950

"Have You No Sense of Decency?" June 9, 1954

Historic Senate Hearings Published

Oral History of Ruth Young Watt, Interview #3:  Chairman Joe McCarthy (pdf)

Oral History of Floyd M. Riddick, Senate Parliamentarian 1964-1974, Interview #7, The McCarthy and Dodd Cases (pdf)


Related Items

Interested in related materials? Take a look at these Virtual Reference Desk subjects for more information.

Censure

Committees

Rules and Procedure