On Friday, National Review posted an article by Gerald Walpin, a former Inspector General (IG), who was fired by the Obama Administration. The article deals with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scandal and the fate of IG’s in the Obama Administration.
When IRS inspector general J. Russell George testified before Congress recently, he stated that he did not know who ordered the increased scrutiny of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.
The article reports:
Details of that testimony are interesting. Representative Tom Graves (R., Ga.) asked, “Have you asked the individuals who ordered them to use this extra scrutiny to punish, or penalize, or postpone, or deny?” George turns around to confer with his assistant. Just the fact that the inspector general had to confer to know the answer to this crucial question is amazing. George’s assistant says something to him that is not recorded, but one can see the assistant shaking his head back and forth. Then George responds publicly to the question, saying, “During our audit, Congressman, we did pose that question and no one would acknowledge who, if anyone, provided that direction.”
Notice that the IG refers to an audit–not an investigation. Mr. Walpin reminds us that an IG has two procedures to obtain information–an audit to determine whether an investigation is necessary and an investigation to find out who is responsible for whatever went wrong.
The article points out:
Once there is reason — and there clearly was reason here, given the obviously illegal conduct — the IG opens an investigation, in which investigators, not auditors, pose the questions, the department employees are placed under oath, and, as a federal court has approved, informed that “failure to answer completely and truthfully may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal.” The question is why George’s office didn’t do this immediately.
The article then reminds of us the reason Mr. Walpin was fired as an IG–he supported the investigation into the mishandling of funds by one of President Obama’s supporters. The Wall Street Journal told the story in June 2009. The firing of Mr. Walpin sent a message to other IG’s to tread carefully in investigating things that might negatively impact President Obama or his friends.
The article concludes:
Similar questions have been raised about other IGs who somehow have been discarded. Amtrak IG Fred Weiderhold, Treasury special IG Neil Barofsky, and International Trade Commission IG Judith Gwynn all left their positions after disputes that weren’t appreciated by the administration, giving more reason for others to go easy with the administration. Further, the president has significantly failed to fill IG vacancies in important agencies (State, Interior, Labor, Homeland Security, and USAID) – well-documented by former IG Joseph Schmitz — demeaning the importance of the IG position.
This administration’s treatment of IGs is not conducive to active, independent, and objective inspectors general, and explains at least in part why key questions about the IRS still have not been asked or investigated.
It is becoming very obvious that we have a corruption problem in Washington. The question is whether or not the voters will do something about it.
