Behind the scenes: Over two days, congressional aides at the retreat got briefings from prominent conservative activists and organizations on a host of investigative tactics.

Gene Hamilton, a former senior aide in Trump’s Justice Department and a board member of the America First Legal Foundation, briefed staffers on how to use legal experts and the federal court system to conduct research and “advance conservative priorities in the courts.”

Alexa Walker, the Banks aide and the Republican Study Committee’s coalitions director, and Scott Gast, a former senior aide in the Trump White House counsel’s office, discussed strategies for coordinating congressional oversight with outside research and investigative groups.

Mike Howell and Roman Jankowski of the Heritage Foundation led a training on the Freedom of Information Act.