CLEP US Government

Category - Separation of Powers

Senator Knowsome believes that President Grande’s chief of staff has been illegally stealing campaign contributions and demands that the President hand over documents to a Senate investigating committee. On what legitimate grounds could President Grande refuse to hand over the documents?
  1. Only the judicial branch can demand documents.
  2. It’s none of Congress’s business.
  3. Only the FBI has the authority to investigate crime in the federal government.
  4. Senator Knowsome is an idiotic jerk.
  5. It would violate separation of powers.
Explanation
Answer: E- Whenever Congress requests documents from the president that the president doesn’t want to give, they respond by saying that giving away those documents would violate the separation of powers. They argue that Congress doesn’t have authority to find out what is going on in the executive branch. At this point the Judicial Branch usually steps in to decide whether the president is required to comply.
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