A brief history of congressional oversight, from Revolutionary War financing to Pam Bondi

By: Gibbs Knotts, Coastal Carolina University and Drew Kurlowski, Coastal Carolina University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: November 6, 2025

Words: 1,515

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 5 days ago

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By Gibbs Knotts, Coastal Carolina University and Drew Kurlowski, Coastal Carolina University

Routine congressional oversight hearings usually don’t make headlines. Historically, these often low-key events have been the sorts of things you catch only on C-SPAN – procedural, polite and largely ignored outside the Beltway.

But their tone has shifted dramatically during the second Trump administration.

When Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 7, 2025, what took place …

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