A national spectacle

 

August 6, 2022

It’s been a bad couple of weeks for Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, who found himself in the middle of an unfolding scandal. But this isn’t entirely new for Cuffari. Our investigative team has been reporting on his questionable decision-making for 15 months, starting with the report that Cuffari quashed two probes into the Secret Service. We then called for Cuffari’s removal this April when we reported that Cuffari and his top aides worked to scrub key details from reports on domestic violence and sexual misconduct among DHS ranks and failed to alert Congress or DHS about some of what they found. Just this week, our investigative team reported that Cuffari sat on the knowledge for many months that January 6-related texts from the Secret Service and DHS leadership were erased. His unwillingness to disclose serious problems in a timely way has now become a national spectacle. So we’ve renewed our calls on Biden to remove Cuffari in a Washington Post op-ed. We’re finally seeing leaders on Capitol Hill publicly announce that they have lost faith in the IG, but only Biden has the authority to fire Cuffari. We were gobsmacked to learn at the White House daily press briefing that Biden does not have plans to remove the IG, leaving us wondering just how much damage this White House needs to see before removing Cuffari from his post. This inspector general has lost all credibility at this point, and leaving him in this crucial position will only lead to more problems. This story isn’t over, so stay tuned for more from us. And in the meantime, if you haven’t yet signed our petition calling for Cuffari’s removal, please add your name. ACT NOW Tell Biden: DHS needs a watchdog worthy of the public’s trust Cuffari’s repeated failures to credibly conduct oversight warrant his removal, but President Biden — who has the sole power to remove and replace the inspector general — has yet to act. Email President Biden now and urge him to remove and replace Cuffari with a watchdog who’s up to the task. INVESTIGATION Missing: More January 6 Texts Sought by Congress January 6-related texts of Trump-era officials at the Department of Homeland Security are missing, too. Read More ANALYSIS Representatives are Too Invested in Defense Contractors Congress must act to prevent the military-industrial-congressional complex from corrupting the policymaking process and eroding public trust. Read More QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Honesty and integrity are nonnegotiable in watchdogs. ... How can Congress, the White House and the public trust him on matters of grave public importance?” Nick Schwellenbach, Senior Investigator, in the Washington Post OVERHEARD ONE LINERS “[But] as you give more flexibility you run the risk of the money being used in ways that in retrospect you say that wasn’t the most effective.” Sean Moulton, Senior Policy Analyst, in the Associated Press   “The constituents did not elect the family of Sean Patrick Maloney; they elected Sean Patrick Maloney. There needs to be a bright dividing line there.” Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, Government Affairs Manager, in the New York Post   “The Department of Homeland Security really needs to get its act together in terms of its compliance with the Federal Records Act.” Nick Schwellenbach, Senior Investigator, in CBS News   “Every time we report on another inexplicable misstep that shows Cuffari clearly not meeting his mission, he doubles down and claims everything is fine and that you just have to trust him.” Liz Hempowicz, Director of Public Policy, in Politico   “The good news is that if that kind of restriction or prohibition is too onerous for people, they always have the option of not being a member of Congress.” Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, Government Affaird Manager, in Business Insider   “We have somebody who is now essentially serving without Senate advice and consent, in that position that clearly requires it.” Liz Hempowicz, Director of Public Policy, in Bloomberg News   “Unfortunately, when you see somebody go from a regulating agency to the regulated industry, the public is naturally going to react like it’s a betrayal because it does call into question your commitment to the mission of protecting the public.” Walt Shaub, Senior Ethics Fellow, in Grid News   WANT MORE FROM POGO? Eyes on the federal government from every angle:   Paper Trail: Quick links to the news in the world of government oversight The Bunker: Military intelligence from POGO's Mark Thompson The Bridge: Analysis on the latest in government ethics from Walt Shaub Sidebar: Key context on the latest constitutional news from the TCP team   🎧 The Continuous Action Podcast 📺 YouTube 📱 Instagram 💸 Support our work

pogo.org The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.

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