The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "congressional" ...
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Congressional Campaign Marred by Scandal
When federal authorities charged the finance director for Connecticut House Speaker Chris Donovan's congressional campaign with trying to hide campaign contributions, the Courant sought to uncover details of the probe and provide its readers stories that explained the significance of the arrest, peeling back the layers of a conspiracy that reached the highest levels of state government.
Tags: Federal authorities; campaign finance; state government
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RGJ: ATF/US Attorney Rift
A months-long Reno Gazette-Journal investigation found that after Reno’s chief U.S. Attorney told local ATF agents that her office would not prosecute their cases until certain unnamed “issues” were resolved, most of the agents transferred to new jobs outside Nevada, leaving Reno vulnerable to gun violence. The investigation found that the federal prosecutors dismissed or refused more than a dozen cases involving violent criminals. The RGJ probe also revealed that dozens of people who bought guns and later failed background checks were allowed to keep the guns because the rift emptied the Reno ATF office of the very agents who are tasked with retrieving those guns. The RGJ series led to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and an independent review of the dropped cases. It also sparked Congressional action.
Tags: Department of Justice; guns; gun violence
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Congressional Speech Series
Congress now speaks at almost a full grade level lower than it did just seven years ago, with the most conservative members of Congress speaking on average at the lowest grade level, according to a new Sunlight Foundation analysis of the Congressional Record using Capitol Words. Of course, what some might interpret as a dumbing down of Congress, others will see as more effective communications.
Tags: congress; communication
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Earmarks To Nowhere
Just when you thought you had read every outrageous story about congressional pork, last year USA TODAY revealed $13 billion in "orphan earmarks"- highway spending directed to pet projects but never spent. For states, this uncooked pork came at a tremendous cost: almost $7.5 billion of the earmarked money was taken directly out of the state's direct highway funding- meaning states literally lost billions they could have spent to improve or build bridges and highways.
Tags: pork barreling; earmarks; highway; money; orphan earmarks
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Fast and Furious: Arizona Crime Ties
When Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was shot to death near the Arizona/Mexico border in December 2010, we quickly learned the guns found at the murder scene were linked to a controversial Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives case called Fast and Furious. Phoenix ATF agents testified in front of Congressional leaders about the flawed gun case and the strategy in which they knowingly allowed criminals to obtain deadly assault weapons. The agents admitted to watching straw buyers purchase weapons on behalf of criminals. The agents said they did nothing to stop the purchases or to track the guns in a meaningful way after they were purchased. As a result of the Fast and Furious case, approximately two thousand weapons went missing. They are presumed to be on the streets somewhere in the United States, near the border, or in Mexico. The agents' testimonies sparked a slew of Congressional hearings and a major shuffle within the leadership ranks of the ATF and other areas of the Department of Justice.
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Cars for Congress
At the height of the debt ceiling debate, the investigative team at WTTG pulled video from floor debates, news conferences and other sources to show how the very people demanding the nation make sacrifices by cutting the budget were the ones taking advantage of a Congressional loophole--allowing Congress to use government money to buy luxury cars.
Tags: congress; loopholes; debt ceiling debate; breaking news; broadcast
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Contaminated Drywall Investigation
Contaminated drywall imported from China has wreaked havoc on thousands of homes across the country. It has been linked to corroded wires and air conditioners, as well as health problems like headaches and nosebleeds. The Herald-Tribune's investigation of the drywall prompted lawsuits and Congressional action.
Tags: contaminated drywall; Chinese drywall; drywall; homeowners
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"Congressional Scholarship Violations"
The Dallas Morning News reports that U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson used her political power to benefit family members. Reporters revealed the Johnson "steered tens of thousands of dollars in college scholarships" during the span of several years to "four of her own relatives," and to two of a "top aide."
Tags: Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson; Congressional Black Caucus Foundation; ethics; Democrat
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"Capitol Gains"
In this series of stories, Wall Street Journal reporters analyzed "more than 6,000 financial-disclosure" documents to show how "lawmakers and congressional aides" were able to find and use loopholes "in ethics rules to profit from trading the stocks of companies and industries that they oversee on Capitol Hill."
Tags: Capitol Hill; lawmakers; Congress; congressional; financial crisis; stock market
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Domestic Abuse Inside the U.S. Military
Domestic violence acts in the Army have been “steadily rising over the last decade, despite Army reports to the contrary”. Many Army spouses’ slain as a result of the domestic violence and many involving soldiers who saw action in Iraq. Also, a level of violence was soaring around some of the largest Army installations “through examination of police records and court filings”.
Tags: Congressional; Pentagon; weapons; FOIA; Fort Hood; Army Rangers; families; abuse; bureaucracy; advocates; mental health