House Judiciary Committee to Examine DOJ’s Stonewalling of Inspector General Investigations

Washington, D.C. — Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., the House Judiciary Committee will hold an oversight hearing entitled, “Access to Justice?: Does DOJ’s Office of Inspector General have Access to Information Needed to Conduct Proper Oversight?” to examine the Obama Administration’s stonewalling of investigations conducted by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. 

On August 5, 2014, nearly 50 federal Inspectors General wrote a letter to congressional leaders expressing concern regarding the serious limitations on access to records that have impeded the work of Inspectors General at several agencies, including the Department of Justice. Although current law makes clear that an Inspector General is entitled to timely and unfettered access to all records that relate to its official activities, the Inspectors General state in their letter that “the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General had essential records withheld by agency components in three different reviews” and that the Department of Justice leadership only produced the requested documents after it decided that “the three reviews were of assistance to the Department of Justice’s leadership.” At tomorrow’s hearing, the Inspector General for the Department of Justice, Michael Horowitz, will testify regarding this problem.

Below is a statement from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) on tomorrow’s oversight hearing.

Chairman Goodlatte: “It’s deeply troubling that Department of Justice leadership has stonewalled the Inspector General’s investigations several times and only produced requested documents after officials concluded that it would help them. The Inspector General’s activities should not be dependent upon the whims of a particular administration. Efforts to restrict or delay an Inspector General’s access to key materials in turn deprive the American people and their elected representatives of timely oversight information with which to evaluate an agency’s performance.

“Limiting access, except in very narrow instances, is at odds with the necessary independence of Inspectors General and is contrary to Congressional intent. Efforts to reduce transparency, such as those described by the Inspectors General, will leave agencies vulnerable to mismanagement and misconduct, and will not be tolerated. At tomorrow’s hearing, we will hear from Inspector General Horowitz and look for ways to prevent his office from being stonewalled by DOJ leadership again in the future.”

Tuesday’s hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at judiciary.house.gov.