{ "id": "R40691", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R40691", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 419757, "date": "2013-04-10", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T23:31:39.504577", "title": "Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress", "summary": "Legislation enacted in 1980 gave the executive branch authority to limit advance notification of especially sensitive covert actions to eight Members of Congress\u2014the \u201cGang of Eight\u201d\u2014when the President determines that it is essential to limit prior notice in order to meet extraordinary circumstances affecting U.S. vital interests. In such cases, the executive branch is permitted by statute to limit notification to the chairmen and ranking minority Members of the two congressional intelligence committees, the Speaker and minority leader of the House, and Senate majority and minority leaders, rather than to notify the full intelligence committees, as is required in cases involving covert actions determined to be less sensitive. \nCongress, in approving this new procedure in 1980, during the Iran hostage crisis, said it intended to preserve operational secrecy in those \u201crare\u201d cases involving especially sensitive covert actions while providing the President with advance consultation with the leaders in Congress and the leadership of the intelligence committees who have special expertise and responsibility in intelligence matters. The intent appeared to some to be to provide the President, on a short-term basis, a greater degree of operational security as long as sensitive operations were underway. In 1991, in a further elaboration of congressional intent following the Iran-Contra Affair, congressional report language stated that limiting notification to the Gang of Eight should occur only in situations involving covert actions of such extraordinary sensitivity or risk to life that knowledge of such activity should be restricted to as few individuals as possible. \nIn its mark-up of H.R. 2701, the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization Act, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) replaced the Gang of Eight statutory provision, adopting in its place a statutory requirement that each of the intelligence committees establish written procedures as may be necessary to govern such notifications. According to committee report language, the adopted provision vests the authority to limit such briefings with the committees, rather than the President. \nOn July 8, 2009, the executive branch issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) in which it stated that it strongly objected to the House Committee\u2019s action to replace the Gang of Eight statutory provision, and that the President\u2019s senior advisors would recommend that the President veto the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization Act if the committee\u2019s language was retained in the final bill. \nThe Senate Intelligence Committee, in its version of the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization Act, left unchanged the Gang of Eight statutory structure, but approved several changes that would tighten certain aspects of current covert action reporting requirements. \nUltimately, the House accepted the Senate\u2019s proposals, which the President signed into law as part of the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization Act (P.L. 111-259). \nBoth the House and Senate Intelligence Committees did not make any further changes to the Gang of Eight notification procedure when both committees approved respective versions of the 2011 Intelligence Authorization Act (P.L. 112-72) enacted on June 8, 2011.\nThis report describes the statutory provision authorizing Gang of Eight notifications, reviews the legislative history of the provision, and examines the impact of such notifications on congressional oversight.\nContents", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R40691", "sha1": "c07718540356b5cb1aadce48137a944427413515", "filename": "files/20130410_R40691_c07718540356b5cb1aadce48137a944427413515.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R40691", "sha1": "9e99af9b228a39f053949f7313b328cb1b0098a6", "filename": "files/20130410_R40691_9e99af9b228a39f053949f7313b328cb1b0098a6.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "CongOpsList", "id": 4154, "name": "Oversight of the Executive Branch" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc97976/", "id": "R40691_2011Apr06", "date": "2011-04-06", "retrieved": "2012-08-21T08:46:06", "title": "Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress", "summary": "Legislation enacted in 1980 gave the executive branch authority to limit advance notification of especially-sensitive covert actions to eight Members of Congress (called the \"Gang of Eight\") when the President determines that it is essential to limit prior notice in order to meet extraordinary circumstances affecting U.S. vital interests. This report describes the statutory provision authorizing Gang of Eight notifications, reviews the legislative history of the provision, and examines the impact of such notifications on congressional oversight.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20110406_R40691_6d4e0964748b55f31b544e35af81ea694019db27.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20110406_R40691_6d4e0964748b55f31b544e35af81ea694019db27.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Intelligence activities", "name": "Intelligence activities" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Covert operations", "name": "Covert operations" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Government information", "name": "Government information" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc505440/", "id": "R40691_2010Jan29", "date": "2010-01-29", "retrieved": "2015-05-29T05:37:21", "title": "Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress", "summary": "This report describes the statutory provision authorizing Gang of Eight notifications, reviews the legislative history of the provision, and examines the impact of such notifications on congressional oversight.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20100129_R40691_d794c3f875fd8ee612d681cb5e019bca6796161d.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20100129_R40691_d794c3f875fd8ee612d681cb5e019bca6796161d.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Government information", "name": "Government information" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Intelligence activities", "name": "Intelligence activities" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "ntelligence services", "name": "ntelligence services" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Official secrets", "name": "Official secrets" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc689246/", "id": "R40691_2009Sep25", "date": "2009-09-25", "retrieved": "2015-08-03T15:06:47", "title": "Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress", "summary": "This report describes the statutory provision authorizing Gang of Eight notifications, reviews the legislative history of the provision, and examines the impact of such notifications on congressional oversight.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090925_R40691_c2a6d82525752d57ae59ef3d0760c40c83a47656.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090925_R40691_c2a6d82525752d57ae59ef3d0760c40c83a47656.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Intelligence activities", "name": "Intelligence activities" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Government information", "name": "Government information" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Official secrets", "name": "Official secrets" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Intelligence services", "name": "Intelligence services" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc689273/", "id": "R40691_2009Jul30", "date": "2009-07-30", "retrieved": "2015-08-03T15:06:47", "title": "Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress", "summary": "This report describes the statutory provision authorizing Gang of Eight notifications, reviews the legislative history of the provision, and examines the impact of such notifications on congressional oversight.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090730_R40691_c24112e2ec975e1304cafdb11ea0cd2664781a0a.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090730_R40691_c24112e2ec975e1304cafdb11ea0cd2664781a0a.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Intelligence activities", "name": "Intelligence activities" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Government information", "name": "Government information" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Official secrets", "name": "Official secrets" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Intelligence services", "name": "Intelligence services" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc26180/", "id": "R40691_2009Jul07", "date": "2009-07-07", "retrieved": "2010-07-07T17:39:19", "title": "Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress", "summary": "With Congress considering a possible change regarding sensitive covert action policy, this memorandum describes the statutory provision authorizing Gang of Eight notifications, reviews the legislative history of the provision, and examine both the impact of such notifications on congressional oversight as well as options that\r\nCongress might consider to possibly improve oversight.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090707_R40691_8ad72a9200ff5b7f4b3545274c4fea80771c6e16.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090707_R40691_8ad72a9200ff5b7f4b3545274c4fea80771c6e16.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Intelligence activities", "name": "Intelligence activities" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Covert operations", "name": "Covert operations" } ] } ], "topics": [] }