HRC and State Dept IG

Bloomberg: “For Five Years, Including All Of Clinton’s Time As Secretary, The State Department’s Office Of Inspector General Never Had A Confirmed Inspector.” [Bloomberg, 3/24/15] Bloomberg: During Clinton’s Tenure At The State Department, The Inspector General’s Office Was Led “By Acting Inspector Harold W. Geisel…Who Was Accused Of Being Too Cozy To Agency Leadership.” “For five years, including all of Clinton’s time as secretary, the State Department’s Office of Inspector General never had a confirmed inspector. Instead, it was lead by acting inspector Harold W. Geisel, a former ambassador who was accused of being too cozy to agency leadership by transparency groups like the Project on Government Oversight. Throughout the first half of President Obama’s first term, the absence of a State Department Inspector General while internal scandals and Benghazi rocked the department drew bipartisan criticism.” [Bloomberg, 3/24/15] Bloomberg: “There Are Currently 11 Inspector General Positions Open—Either Because President Obama Or The Agency Have Yet To Nominate Anyone, Or Because A Presidential Nominee Has Yet To Be Confirmed By Congress.” [Bloomberg, 3/24/15] Agencies Lacking Permanent Inspectors Include The Department Of Interior, U.S. Agency For International Development, And The National Archives And Records Administration. “Some positions have gone without nominees for years—according to a database maintained by POGO, the Department of Interior hasn’t has a permanent inspector, or presidential nominee, since early 2009; the Agency for International Development’s OIG hasn’t had a leader or presidential nominee since 2011. The National Archives and Records Administration hasn’t had an inspector since September 2012, when Inspector General Paul Brachfield was put on administrative leave while being investigated for racial and sexual comments.” [Bloomberg, 3/24/15] Bloomberg: In 2011, The Government Accountability Office “Called On The State Department To Address Concerns Regarding Its Independence,” Saying Acting Inspectors From Inside The Department Presiding “For Extended Periods Of Time Is Not Consistent With Professional Standards For Independence.” “The State Department’s permanent inspectors haven’t been above reproach—in 2007 then-IG Howard J. Krongard resigned over allegations that he’d impeded investigations into Blackwater and corruption in Iraq—but the work of vetted and confirmed officials carry more weight. In a 2011 report, the Government Accountability Office called on the State Department to address concerns regarding it independence writing that ‘the appointment of management and Foreign Service officials to head the State OIG in an acting capacity for extended periods of time is not consistent with professional standards for independence.’” [Bloomberg, 3/24/15] Bloomberg: A New Permanent Inspector Was Appointed To The State Department “By September 2013, Several Months After Clinton Left.” “By September 2013, several months after Clinton left State, the department finally had a permanent inspector, and the department recently released a report documenting how few e-mails the State Department has saved for government records. But the long-time gap, as well as the ones at other agencies, raise questions about what other problems aren’t being investigated.” [Bloomberg, 3/24/15]