Homeland security watchdog employees call for removal of Inspector General

by Will Tubbs
Homeland security watchdog employees call for removal of Inspector General

Lauren C. Moye, FISM News

 

Employees of “every program office at every grade level” of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General have called on President Joe Biden to fire their boss.

The anonymous members of the watchdog agency stated they “can no longer hope that the ship will right itself” and that they can “no longer be silent” about the mismanagement of the DHS OIG under Inspector General Joseph Cuffari.

The letter, addressed directly to Biden, was shared by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) on Friday. Those who signed the letter remained anonymous for fear of retaliation.

Considering that one investigation into DHS OIG affairs sparked by a whistleblower fizzled out with no “meaningful changes” made, it’s easy to understand where that concern comes from.

Cuffari is currently under investigation by a watchdog organization that provides oversight for IG offices for potentially launching a retaliatory investigation against senior staff members for “unspecified protected activity,” according to POGO.

When you consider the strong criticism leveled at Cuffari in the letter, it’s easy to see how the latest staff members fear repercussions if their identities are learned.

“Therefore, the highest priorities of an inspector general are integrity and independence. IG Cuffari and his inner circle of senior leaders have fallen short in these areas time and time again,” the employees wrote.

In another section, they shared, “Staff do not trust IG Cuffari and his senior leadership to make the right decisions.”

Years of “poor decisions making” from Cuffari have led to a loss of workforce support, they also wrote.

Cuffari has also come under fire from Congressional committees several times this past year.

This includes his role in a delayed alert to the Jan. 6 Special Select Committee regarding missing Secret Service texts from the day that he characterized the Secret Service as having been uncooperative with his investigation. However, it was later learned that the DHS OIG had known for nearly a full year that data might be missing.

In August, the chairs of the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Committee on Homeland Security sent Cuffari a letter about his stonewalling of information and document requests. This included a request to produce a domestic abuse and sexual harassment report by DHS employees and the events surrounding the Jan. 6 text messages.

Staff members alleged that the IG has permanently damaged the office’s reputation. They also accuse Cuffari of frequently interfering with career staff’s ability to do their jobs and creating a hostile work environment where staff fear retaliation if they challenge leadership decisions.

A further list of complaints states that Cuffari has delayed releases of audits and investigations and interfered with efforts to gather necessary information for these oversight projects.

They added, “His actions do not represent his 700-plus workforce” nor are they the “actions of a true leader.”

“We cannot complete our mission with IG Cufari in his position,” the letter states, before requesting Biden remove both the IG and his senior staff.

The White House received the letter earlier this month according to POGO but has not released any public statements.

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