In the 2013 report from the Justice Department’s inspector general, which was never publicly released, investigators said they did “not believe” Joseph V. Cuffari’s explanation for why he failed to inform his supervisors — against federal rules — about his testimony in a lawsuit brought by a federal prisoner.
Separately, they found that Cuffari broke ethics rules by referring law firms to the prisoner’s family, including firms where some of his close friends worked. “We concluded Cuffari’s actions violated the [inspector general] manual’s prohibition on unethical conduct,” said the report, which also noted that he may have violated guidelines by using his government email to lobby for a position as inspector general for the Arizona National Guard, among other issues.
For a federal agent, failing to be truthful with investigators can lead to discipline, suspension and possible termination from federal service.
An internal team recommended referring Cuffari to the inspector general’s investigations unit for a deeper review of his actions, the report said — but he quickly retired and the following month joined the administration of then-Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) as a policy adviser for public safety.
When he was nominated five years later by President Donald Trump to become the Homeland Security watchdog, Cuffari told Senate lawmakers in a questionnaire that he had been fully truthful to investigators in their probe. Senators in both parties did not press him for details of the investigation before his confirmation by a voice vote in July 2019.
The new details in the report, which was obtained by The Washington Post, raise questions about how thoroughly Cuffari was vetted for one of the most important oversight jobs in government, experts said, and about his suitability to lead a staff of 750 auditors and investigators with oversight of an agency with a workforce of 240,000 and a $50 billion budget.
A spokesperson for Cuffari’s office who was not identified issued a statement via email Wednesday, noting that Cuffari had been fully vetted by the FBI, the White House and the Senate during the nomination process. The Senate unanimously confirmed his appointment, the statement said. The spokesperson said Cuffari “has not received nor seen the report to which you refer.”
The statement said Cuffari, who also had a military career, was proud of his record in the Air Force and in the Justice Department’s inspector general office, where he investigated alleged violations of federal prisoners’ civil rights. The spokesperson also said Cuffari received numerous awards and “retired with a spotless record from DOJ OIG.”
Cuffari’s three years as Homeland Security’s inspector general have been marked by numerous allegations of partisan decision-making and investigative failures — including, most recently, his decision in February to scrap efforts by his department to recover Secret Service texts sent during the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Defense Department inspector general has been investigating allegations for more than a year that Cuffari retaliated against several whistleblowers on his staff, according to individuals familiar with the case.
The missing Secret Service texts are now at the center of an investigation by the House committee probing the Jan. 6 attack, and Democratic lawmakers have accused Cuffari of failing to act aggressively in the case.
His nomination to Homeland Security sailed through a committee of federal inspectors general that interviewed him for less than…
Read More: Homeland Security watchdog Joseph Cuffari previously accused of misleading investigators
