Press Release

It was Past Time for Commerce Inspector General Todd Zinser to Go

Statement of Danielle Brian, Executive Director, Project On Government Oversight:

We’re happy to hear that Commerce Department Inspector General Todd Zinser saw the writing on the wall and has resigned. As the Project On Government Oversight and other groups said earlier this year, the fact that Zinser personally retaliated against a whistleblower before becoming Inspector General shows that he was unfit for this important oversight position.

All cases of whistleblower retaliation are unacceptable, but it is particularly egregious when the retaliation is carried out by a watchdog tasked with investigating such reprisals.

We applaud the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology for its effective, bipartisan investigation into Zinser, and for its commitment to strengthening the IG’s office.

Brian raised these concerns Wednesday in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Previously, POGO and other groups wrote to President Obama calling on him to remove Zinser from office.