NDAs and Confidential Settlements Shake State Capitols and City Halls

People who work for the Trump administration and Congress members aren't the only government employees being asked to sign legally questionable contracts to keep secrets.

It was recently revealed that many of Donald Trump’s top advisers were asked to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), forcing them to keep quiet about what happens in the White House -- even after his presidency ends. Ruth Marcus, deputy editorial editor of The Washington Post labeled these agreements a presidential first and “not just oppressive, but constitutionally repugnant.” Government ethics experts say they are legally questionable.

Meanwhile, confidential settlements -- which are often used to close the books (and keep them shut) on allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination -- have caused controversy on Capitol Hill, where the #MeToo movement led to the revelation that Congress spent $17 million of taxpayer money to settle these kinds of cases in the last two decades.

These types of secret-keeping contracts, though, are being used in state and local government, too.

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