Items20The creator’s order
  1. 1Elliot RichardsonElliot RichardsonBorn 20 Jul 1920Richardson refused President Nixon's instruction to dismiss Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox in October 1973 and resigned as attorney general. The dispute concerned the independence promised to an investigation within the executive branch itself. His departure did not prevent Cox's…0i
  2. 2William RuckelshausWilliam RuckelshausBorn 24 Jul 1932Ruckelshaus, the deputy attorney general, also refused to carry out the order to fire Cox after Richardson's resignation. His refusal showed that removing one office-holder would not automatically secure compliance from the next person in the chain of authority. He too left office during the…0i
  3. 3Archibald CoxArchibald CoxBorn 17 May 1912Cox used the special prosecutor's authority to seek Nixon's recordings through subpoenas and the courts. He rejected the White House's proposed substitute of summaries because the underlying evidence mattered to the investigation. Nixon then sought his dismissal, which Bork carried out in October…0i
  4. 4Leon JaworskiLeon JaworskiBorn 19 Sept 1905Jaworski pursued the recordings as Cox's successor, taking the conflict over executive privilege to the Supreme Court. In United States v. Nixon in 1974, the Court required compliance with the subpoena for evidence needed in a criminal proceeding. It recognised a qualified confidentiality interest…0i
  5. 5Sally YatesSally YatesBorn 20 Aug 1960As acting attorney general, Yates directed Justice Department lawyers in January 2017 not to defend the first Trump travel-ban order unless she became satisfied that doing so was appropriate. She questioned its legality and the truthfulness of arguments needed to defend it; the White House…0i
  6. 6James ComeyJames ComeyBorn 14 Dec 1960Comey testified in 2017 that President Trump had sought personal loyalty and expressed a wish for the FBI to let the Flynn matter go. His account put the boundary between presidential contact and investigative independence before Congress after his dismissal. His own handling of records also faced…0i
  7. 7Chris KrebsChris KrebsBorn 30 Jan 1977Krebs defended the election-security community's assessment of the 2020 US vote while President Trump promoted claims of a compromised election. Trump dismissed him as CISA director, and Krebs subsequently testified to the Senate. His remit was protecting election infrastructure and explaining the…0i
  8. 8Marie YovanovitchMarie YovanovitchBorn 11 Nov 1958Yovanovitch challenged the account behind her 2019 recall as US ambassador to Ukraine by giving evidence about the campaign against her. Her testimony described pressure transmitted through unofficial political channels and the difficulty of defending professional diplomatic work from it. An…0i
  9. 9Alex VindmanAlex VindmanBorn 6 Jun 1975Vindman, an Army officer serving on the National Security Council, reported concerns about Ukraine-related discussions to the NSC's legal counsel and later testified to Congress. He used an internal reporting route before describing the July 2019 presidential call in the impeachment inquiry. He was…0i
  10. 10T. N. SeshanT. N. SeshanBorn 15 May 1932Seshan made India's Election Commission an assertive enforcer of electoral standards, including the Model Code of Conduct. He also challenged the government's creation of a multi-member commission, arguing that it compromised his position as chief election commissioner. The Supreme Court rejected…0i