Written by Miguel Palacios
A press release from the office of Darrell Issa (CA-50) on Friday unveiled a huge win for government transparency and accountability. Amending the Inspector General Act of 1978 which limited the power of the Inspector Generals’ ability to investigate wrongdoings in the Department of Justice (DOJ).
On Friday, Congressman Darrell Issa and Congresswoman Deborah Ross introduced the Inspector General Access Act which calls for accountability of all Department of Justice employees, especially the DOJ Attorneys.
Currently, the DOJ is the only government department that does not allow unrestricted access to Inspector General investigators, meaning that the DOJ’s Inspector General has no authority to investigate misconduct, professional or otherwise, of DOJ personnel.
Congressman Issa states that with the implementation of the Inspector General Access Act, they hope to, “…provide a critical check on government misconduct and essential transparency that backs up the people’s right to know. With this bipartisan reform, the Congress is appropriately empowering this unique tool of oversight and accountability.”
Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois and Mike Lee of Utah introduced similar companion legislation which has been backed by twelve senators, six from each party.
In January 2019, both the House and the Senate approved this bill. Issa and Ross were joined by Reps. Jamie Raskin, Carolyn Maloney, Gerry Connolly, and Jody B. Hice as cosponsors.
