Checks on Presidential Power Are Stronger Than You Think

Donald Trump today enters the most powerful office in the United States, and probably the world. Just how powerful, however, is an area of much dispute. Despite early promises to curtail executive authority in areas of national security, foreign policy, and warmaking, some argue that President Obama has actually expanded those authorities, leaving a “loaded gun” in the Oval Office. The Cipher Brief talked with Harvard Professor and former Assistant Attorney-General in the Office of Legal Counsel, Jack Goldsmith, to find out just how much authority resides in the presidency and how checks and balances on presidential power have changed in the past 15 years.

The Cipher Brief: How have the national security powers of the presidency changed since 2001?