Desiree Moore and Andy Wright on Crisis Management: Part 1 - Congressional Investigations

Desiree Moore and Andy Wright discuss federal investigations and enforcement developments in the Crisis Management series.

In this episode, Desiree and Andy provide a series of quick tips about managing bet-the-company crises, from congressional investigations to data security incidents to C-Suite events and more.

Key Takeaways Where a Client is Called into a Congressional Investigation

• Remember: a client may have flunked the facts, but counsel will not let you flunk the investigation
• When you’re in a hole (i.e., in the face of a potential crisis), the first thing to do is put down the shovel!
• Control communications flow – on-the-record spox need visibility into what is coming and lawyers need to review public statements
• Analyze risk – the legal risk, business risk, communications risk, and political risk – to gauge the seriousness of the matter
• Determine what happened – get your arms around the facts, what the company knows and doesn’t know, and what it needs to know 
• Take strategic and tactical pauses before saying anything that could be inaccurate or lead to further scrutiny and investigation
• Map the investigation – develop insights into the partisan dynamics, hometown politics, or policy preferences driving the investigation
• Tell the client’s story – In responding to inquiries, ensure accuracy while looking for opportunities to seize the narrative where possible