WHO WE ARE American Oversight (AO) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public’s right to government records.

We use multiple tools, backed by aggressive litigation, to fight attacks on democratic institutions, threats to civil rights and liberties, abuses of power, and the erosion of government transparency.

We expose and disrupt these attacks — and the officials and networks behind them — by forcing the government to turn over records officials would rather keep secret.  Since our founding in 2017, American Oversight has worked on issues that touch nearly every aspect of American life.

Our team has:

•   Secured a court order to preserve records in the 2025 “Signalgate” scandal, and spurred a related investigation by the Department of Defense inspector general that found Secretary Pete Hegseth had put troops’ lives in dan...