Subject: Paper Topic
From: Bryan Wood <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:41:55 -0500

Professor Podesta and Judge Leon,

Below are my paper topic and description.  Please let me know if you need
any additional information.  Thank you and I look forward to seeing you
both in class this evening.

Best Regards,

Bryan

 *Study of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations'
Investigation and Report on the JPMorgan Chase London Whale Trades*

The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations began their
investigation into the so-called London Whale trades after the high profile
losses forced CEO Jamie Dimon to face congressional inquiry before the
House Financial Services and Senate Banking Committees.  What appears to be
a bipartisan investigation led by Sens. Levin, Coburn, and McCain raises
the most important question of congressional investigations*- *why did the
subcommittee decide that this incident was worthy of a nine-month
investigation?  I believe a look into the scope, conduct, and potential
motives of the investigation can help establish if it was a laudable use of
congressional investigatory power and resources, a means to coax federal
regulators on key policy provisions, or perhaps an avenue to further
pillory an industry that had become a politically profitable whipping
boy.  Especially
at a time when key elements of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and
Consumer Protection Act, such as the Volcker Rule authored by Sen. Levin,
were in crucial stages of drafting or implementation, it is important to
assess whether the investigation and subsequent report were conducted in
pursuit of genuine congressional and public interests or with other motives
and objectives.