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Darcy Slayton

Darcy Slayton is an associate in the Washington DC office. She is a member of the Election and Political Law Practice Group, representing and counseling corporate, political, and individual clients in matters before government agencies and Congress. She also advises companies, PACs, nonprofits, and individuals on compliance with federal and state campaign finance, election, and lobbying laws.

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This week, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) will vote to pursue civil enforcement and criminal contempt of Congress charges against Steward Health Care CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre.  If the vote succeeds, and it is likely it will, Dr. de la Torre will be only the second corporate executive subject to a subpoena enforcement action in the history of the Senate.

The bipartisan enforcement action, announced by Committee Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ranking Member Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), followed a hearing last week for which Dr. de la Torre was subpoenaed to testify but failed to appear.

The use of an empty chair at a hearing to symbolize noncompliance with congressional requests has increased in recent years, but it is nonetheless a rare event on Capitol Hill.  Dr. de la Torre, remarkably, has been represented by an empty chair twice in less than six months.  In March 2024, Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, launched an inquiry into financial mismanagement at Steward Health Care.  Senator Markey twice requested that Dr. de la Torre testify at a Subcommittee hearing on April 3, 2024.  Dr. de la Torre declined to appear, earning his first empty chair of the year.Continue Reading An Empty Chair and a Not-so-Empty Threat:  Senate HELP Committee to Vote on Rare Civil and Criminal Subpoena Enforcement Actions Against Steward Health Care CEO

Recently, the Senate adopted a power-sharing agreement providing some contours for organizing the equally divided body.  As we have discussed previously, such agreements are very rarely needed.  The Senate has only faced a 50-50 partisan split a handful of times.  The most recent instance, in 2001, prompted the first power-sharing

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Continue Reading Senate Subpoena Power Under the 2021 Power-Sharing Agreement

In recent months, we have highlighted key developments on Capitol Hill and discussed the implications of the change in Administration on the pace and focus of congressional investigations.  With a Democratic majority now in both the House and the Senate, investigations targeting the private sector are primed to take center

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Continue Reading Congressional Investigations with a Democratic House and Senate