List of Tables and Figures ix Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: When Congress Investigates 21 Chapter 3: Investigations and Public Opinion 74 Chapter 4: The Direct Influence of Congressional Investigations on Policy Outcomes 124 Chapter 5: The Indirect Influence of Congressional Investigations on Policy Outcomes 172 Chapter 6: Investigations in the Age of Obama 210 Chapter 7: Conclusion 244 References 259 Index 273

"Kriner and Schickler have written an important and timely work that deepens our understanding of the relationship between Congress and the executive branch, and fills a gap in the scholarly literature. This state-of-the-art study demonstrates that Congress's power to investigate executive misconduct is not just a vehicle for political grandstanding but an effective check on presidential power."--Choice

"Brightly illuminating how Congress's formidable powers of publicity constrain the president's choices, Kriner and Schickler map out the pathways by which congressional investigations affect presidents' public standing and policy leadership. Readers will be impressed by this book's causal analyses and its many clear, concise case examples."—Frances E. Lee, University of Maryland"This book is the last word on congressional investigations of the presidency. With rich case studies extending back most of a century, Kriner and Schickler show beyond doubt that major probes have swerved U.S. politics and policymaking, particularly when the media world is paying attention."—David R. Mayhew, Yale University"Making a major contribution to the literature on the relationship between Congress and the president, Investigating the President uses congressional investigations as a lens to explore important constitutional, political, and policy issues. An exemplary combination of historical data, experiments, case studies, and thoughtful analysis, this ambitious book stakes out new ground in innovative ways."—Linda L. Fowler, University of Michigan"This impressive book's broad historical sweep yields a persuasive new treatment of the politics and implications of congressional investigations. Carefully argued and crafted, it rescues congressional investigatory activity from the dustbins of political grandstanding, and in doing so, offers a strong contribution to our understanding of the twentieth century and contemporary U.S. Congress."—Sarah Binder, George Washington University and Brookings Institution