Latest Edition Provides Critical Updates on Political and Legal Shifts that Have Shaped Modern Congressional Investigations
Today, Jenner & Block’s bipartisan Congressional Investigations practice, in partnership with the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), released the 2025 edition of When Congress Comes Calling, the gold-standard handbook for the congressional oversight community. This is the first update to the handbook since 2017.
Since the last edition, Congress’s expanded use of congressional oversight authority, its more aggressive oversight of private parties, and the increased media attention surrounding these investigations have drastically reshaped the impact that congressional hearings and investigations can have on the parties being investigated.
In this latest update of When Congress Comes Calling, Jenner’s team provides analyses of recent legal developments and the evolution of investigative practices marking modern congressional investigations. The update also includes key insights from guest editors comprising Democratic and Republican experts across Washington who have held high-level positions across the legislative and executive branches.
Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary said, “You can’t get to the bottom of any of these investigations unless you have staff who are willing to do the work… we got staff who are now on the other side [of the table], the counsel who make the process work, the folks at Jenner & Block and all of you, all of these good folks…when you bring in the witnesses, you can’t really make the whole process function unless those witnesses have good counsel like we have here…Thank you for the difference you make for the country, for the Constitution, for the Bill of Rights, for the liberties we enjoy as Americans who live in the greatest country ever, thank you for what you do.”
Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology said, “Actually, a majority of the House has served here for less than five years and a lot of members don’t even know what regular order is, so the work that you're doing…is very important…Because when the House works in its regular order, the work of the people gets done more effectively.”
Ashley Callen, co-chair of the Congressional Investigations Practice at Jenner & Block said, “It was an honor to partner with POGO to update When Congress Comes Calling, and share our bipartisan expertise on how evolving legal and political landscapes are shaping congressional investigations. This edition of When Congress Comes Calling will serve as a go-to guide for congressional investigators for years to come, and we’d like to thank the Project on Government Oversight for entrusting us with the responsibility of updating this seminal publication.”
Tim Stretton, director of the Congressional Oversight Initiative at POGO said, “Thanks to Jenner & Block’s contributions to this publication, future generations of congressional investigators will be well prepared to carry on their essential work. This update honors and revitalizes the expertise of Mort Rosenberg, the original author of When Congress Comes Calling, and ensures that his vision of a robust first branch continues into today's world. We are grateful for Jenner & Block's work and look forward to sharing this edition with lawmakers and their staff who are dedicated to conducting rigorous oversight. This updated edition will support POGO's Congressional Oversight Initiative in training and educating congressional staff about their oversight powers and how to use those powers effectively for years to come."
About Jenner & Block’s Congressional Investigations Practice:
Jenner & Block’s nationally recognized Congressional Investigations practice draws from a deep bench of former government officials who understand how Congress works, procedurally and politically. Jenner’s Chambers-ranked, bipartisan team is led by Ashley Callen, who is a former General Counsel to Speaker Mike Johnson and Leader Steve Scalise, and a longtime senior investigator across several key House committees; Emily Loeb, a former Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice and Associate White House Counsel; Matthew Klapper, former DOJ Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to the Attorney General, and a longtime Senate Chief of Staff; and Jonathan Skladany, former Staff Director of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Chief Oversight Counsel at the House Financial Services Committee.
About the Project on Government Oversight:
The Project on Government Oversight is a nonpartisan, independent watchdog championing good government reforms. Since its founding in 1981, POGO has fought for a more effective, accountable, and equitable democracy. Throughout its history, POGO has worked with partner organizations to build a broader base of expertise in government oversight and investigations. In addition to partnering with Jenner & Block, POGO has also worked with federal judges, the Lugar Center, the Government Accountability Project, and the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, among others.
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