Law360 Quotes Karen Christian on House GOP Investigations
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For its article “Divided Congress Shifts Oversight In Opposing Directions,” Law360 quoted Akin Gump congressional investigations practice co-head Karen Christian. The article looks at investigations to be launched by House Republicans, who won a narrow majority in midterm elections, and Senate Democrats, who cemented their majority.
Christian, who served as General Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and Chief Counsel to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, said that GOP legislators have “pent-up frustration from being in the minority” with little success in receiving responses to their inquiries. She added, “So anytime a new majority comes in, you see an uptick in the number of investigations opened but also just the enthusiasm in pursuing those inquiries and getting information and getting their story out there.”
Referring to letters sent by incoming House GOP committee chairmen to CEOs and administration officials on topics ranging from COVID-19 to content moderation, Christian said, “They're sending a signal they're going to hit the ground running, and they're not going to tolerate people trying to start at step one in January, they're going to expect them to be further down the road.”
