Democrats seek to rein in the contact between White House, Justice Department on probes

Washington Post logoSen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) still keeps handy a two-page chart that a staffer drew up a dozen years ago, illustrating traditional limits between how many presidential aides are allowed to discuss investigations with Justice Department officials.

“That was the way it was supposed to be, the top one. Four White House people, three DOJ people,” Whitehouse said.

That tradition began during the Clinton administration and carried into the first years of George W. Bush but, later in Bush’s presidency, the chart grew to include more than 800 officials talking to one another.

View the complete June 19 article by Paul Kane on The Washington Post website here.