Written Congressional Testimony of Fritz Schwarz
Brennan Center’s Senior Counsel Fritz Schwarz’s written testimony before the House of Representative’s Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law in a hearing on “Ensuring Executive Branch Accountability”
Fritz Schwarz discusses the vital role of Congress in overseeing the activities of the executive branch. He asserts that when this supervision is lacking, national security and law enforcement powers often are misused. Mr. Schwarz presents the historical and current challenges to Congressional oversight and defends its responsible execution as an essential part of American government.
Mr. Schwarz’s testimony incorporates both his personal experience as Chief Counsel of the Church Committee, a position that required his investigation of the most sensitive workings of our national security during the Watergate era, as well as his knowledge gathered through the co-authorship of Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror, and his years of public service.
Mr. Schwarz comes to the