The federal watchdog council confirmed on Friday its Integrity Committee does have an ongoing investigation into current and former senior officials at the embattled Homeland Security inspector general’s office. However, the council could not make further comments in order to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
Alan Boehm, executive director of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, in consultation with the Integrity Committee, told Government Executive about the ongoing investigation as part of the council’s response to a report from the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight published on Oct. 5 that argues the Integrity Committee “is failing in its mission to hold inspectors general accountable for bad behavior.” He said the POGO report “suggests a very limited investigative effort” into the DHS IG office.
There have been issues at the Homeland Security Department inspector general office for years, some dating back to before the current watchdog. Most recently IG Joseph Cuffari has come under intense criticism and scrutiny for a variety of matters including handling of investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and alleged suppression and delays in reports on domestic violence and sexual assault. The office has pushed back on the allegations.
POGO and news outlets have previously reported that CIGIE’s Integrity Committee has opened investigations into current and former DHS IG officials. Over the summer, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s government operations panel, called on CIGIE’s integrity committee to confirm whether or not it is investigating Cuffari “and the swirl of serious allegations surrounding him.”
At the time, CIGIE was not able to confirm or deny any existing probes. Boehm said he was now able to disclose more information than in the past due to a new transparency policy that took effect earlier this week.
NPR reported on Wednesday that since Cuffari became DHS IG more than 30 lawyers have left, citing sources and records. “The departures often stemmed from the lawyers’ unease with how Cuffari managed the watchdog role,” said the report. “Seven sources with knowledge of the inner workings of the agency who spoke with NPR said the inspector general has fueled organizational dysfunction and abused his power.”
This comes after POGO published a letter last month from an unknown number of anonymous employees at the DHS IG office imploring President Biden to remove Cuffari, citing the workforce’s lack of trust. “After years of poor decision-making by IG Joseph Cuffari, Ph.D., and his front office staff, we can no longer hope that the ship will right itself,” they wrote.
When asked for comment on the letter a DHS OIG spokesperson said “since his confirmation IG Cuffari has provided every OIG employee multiple opportunities to meet with him and other senior leaders, in small groups” and “the feedback employees have provided during those sessions has been overwhelmingly positive and useful to continue to improve our operations.” The spokesperson also cited the office’s improved scores in the Federal Employees Viewpoint Survey and the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service’s “Best Places to Work” rankings (which primarily uses FEVS data).
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing on September 26, “We’ve heard about some of the issues with this particular inspector general and we’re going to take a look at those…But as far as any personnel announcements I don’t have anything to share.”
Broader Criticism of the IG Council’s Integrity Committee and Its Response
The POGO report criticizing the IG Council’s Integrity Committee says that “in various instances the [committee] declined to open investigations into credible allegations of misconduct, spent so much time on an investigation…
Read More: The IG Council Has Confirmed That It Is Investigating Homeland Security Watchdog Officials