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Inspector General Investigations
Related Resources (government documents and letters)
POGO Files
Allegations Federal Officials Aided Wall Street Short Sellers Spurs Inspector General Inquiry
June 13, 2011
These Are the Investigative Reports the SEC Doesn’t Want You to See
January 20, 2011
Podcast: War Zone Watchdogs Part 2: No Cigar for SIGAR? POGO recently called for the removal of two war zone watchdogs--the Department of State's Inspector General and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). In part 2 of 2, POGO staffers discuss a recent hearing in which Members of Congress questioned the effectiveness of the SIGAR.
November 29, 2010
Podcast: War Zone Watchdogs Part 1: A Letter Regarding the State Department Inspector General POGO recently called for the removal of two war zone watchdogs--the Department of State's Inspector General (IG) and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. In part 1 of 2, POGO staffers discuss our recent letter to the President raising questions about the independence of the State Department's IG.
November 29, 2010
POGO Calls for Removal of Two U.S. War Zone Watchdogs
November 18, 2010
The Case of the Missing Inspector General Reports
November 3, 2010
Podcast: A Father's Attempt to Warn the Military about U.S. Servicemen Killing Afghan Civilians for Sport This June, the Army charged several U.S. soldiers with murdering three Afghans for sport in three separate episodes. Christopher Winfield, the father of Specialist Adam Winfield--one of the accused soldiers--recently told POGO his own story of how he tried to warn the Army about the killings.
October 12, 2010
Investigation into Wrongdoing at FDA Re-Opened: But Will It Be Different This Time?
September 28, 2010
POGO Joins Bi-Partisan Group of Senators in Demanding Obama Oust the SIGAR
September 23, 2010
POGO letter in support of Grassley amendment to strengthen inspector general independence
May 13, 2010
POGO letter in support of McCaskill amendment to improve coordination between financial agency inspectors general
May 13, 2010
A TARP Program by Any Other Name Still Needs Oversight
April 22, 2010
POGO letter to SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro regarding the SEC's failure to act on hundreds of Inspector General recommendations
December 16, 2009
POGO Charges SEC Failed to Implement over 200 IG Recommendations
December 16, 2009
POGO letter to IG Council Chair Fong on integrity and efficiency, clarifying POGO's recommendation on IG hotline
November 13, 2009
Treasury Stands Down from Attempt to Challenge SIGTARP's Authority
September 3, 2009
Amtrak: Internal Company Document Reveals Bitter Conflict Between Independent Inspector General And Management
August 6, 2009
Testimony of POGO's Danielle Brian on The Roles and Responsibilities of Inspectors General
March 25, 2009
POGO Releases 2nd Report on Inspectors General
March 20, 2009
Inspectors General: Accountability is a Balancing Act In part two of POGO's investigation into the federal Inspector General (IG) system, POGO examines how to hold IGs accountable. The report seeks to consider the right balance between quantity and quality of reports, prioritizing small problems versus significant issues, and focusing oversight internally versus externally. After looking at the impact of IGs, POGO found that many need to improve their outreach to the public and Congress. POGO’s report also found the IG system should review their treatment of whistleblowers. POGO concluded that Congress needs to more thoughtfully embrace their duty to hold IGs accountable, and could be accomplished more effectively by their peers through the IG Council’s Integrity Committee.
March 20, 2009
POGO Endorses H. Res. 40 Calling for Periodic Oversight Hearings
January 13, 2009
POGO Letter to Rep. Tanner supporting change to House rules requiring periodic hearings on waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement
January 13, 2009
POGO Urges Passage of SIGTARP Bill
December 9, 2008
Treasury Department IG Temporarily Oversees Bailout
December 2, 2008
POGO Salutes Good Government Legislation
September 30, 2008
DOD IG Report on Tenenbaum Leaves Questions Unanswered
July 22, 2008
SIGIR Update
July 15, 2008
Not Exactly a Vote of Confidence
July 14, 2008
Updating the Record
July 10, 2008
Inspectors General 101 A POGO presentation outlining the basics of the system of federal Inspectors General – how it works, what doesn’t work.
February 28, 2008
Inspectors General: Many Lack Essential Tools for Independence As the 30th anniversary of the law creating the Inspector General system approaches, POGO has seized the moment to closely examine how effective this critical component of our government actually functions. POGO distributed a questionnaire to all 64 statutory IGs, receiving responses from 49 of them. Many were found to lack sufficient resources, the ability to tap into their own budgets, reliable in-house legal advice, autonomy over their own websites, and unfettered investigative authority. POGO's findings raise critical questions that must be addressed; to that end, the report makes a number of recommendations aimed at improving Inspector General independence so IGs can better serve the U.S. taxpayer by ferreting out waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct.
February 26, 2008
POGO Urges Accountability in Inspector General System
August 21, 2007
Related Resources
A Review of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General's Process for Handling Military Whistleblower Reprisal Allegations
Office of the Inspector General (OIG), The Department of Justice (DOJ)
July 1, 2009
Inspectors General: Independent Oversight of Financial Regulatory Agencies
, Government Accountability Office (GAO-09-524T)
March 25, 2009
Letter from Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky to Senator Charles Grassley
, Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program
January 22, 2009
DOD IG responds to POGO's letter requesting review of the Tenenbaum matter and the Office of Inspector General
Inspector General John Crane, Department of Defense
July 21, 2008
Review of the Case of Mr. David Tenenbaum; Department of the Army Employee
, Inspector General United States Department of Defense Report, Deputy Inspector General for Intelligence, 08-INTEL-10, Redacted version
July 13, 2008
Department of Defense Inspector General Growth Plan for Increasing Audit and Investigative Capabilities: Fiscal Years 2008-2015
, Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General
March 31, 2008
Waxman's letter dated Sept. 18 critical of conduct of State Dept. Inspector General's partisan political ties.
Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Chair, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
September 18, 2007
Senator Grassley's letters concerning now former Defense Department Inspector General Joseph Schmitz
Senator Charles Grassley,
July 27, 2005
POGO in the News
Audit to determine whether college reg was leaked to Wall Street, Peter Schroeder, The Hill, June 13, 2011
Education Department Officials Accused Of Leaking Info To Short-Sellers , Marcus Baram, The Huffington Post, June 13, 2011
Grassley gives failing marks to Pentagon inspector general, Charles S. Clark, Government Executive.com, June 7, 2011
IG’s oversight and clout shrink under Obama, By Neil Munro, The Daily Caller, April 20, 2011
Into the Limelight, By Charles S. Clark, Government Executive, March 1, 2011
Time to follow Fields' example and quit Afghanistan, By Pratap Chatterjee, The Guardian, January 11, 2011
Afghanistan reconstruction auditor resigns, By Michelle Nichols, Reuters, January 11, 2011
Senators hail resignation of Afghanistan inspector general, By John T. Bennett, The Hill, January 10, 2011
Obama To Nominate A Defender For Whistle-Blowers, By Ari Shapiro, National Public Radio (NPR), December 15, 2010
Justice inspector general announces retirement, By Charles S. Clark, Government Executive, November 30, 2010
Watchdog group raises concerns about State IG, By Laura Rozen, Politico, November 18, 2010
Watchdog calls for removal of State Department's interim IG, By Robert Brodsky, Government Executive, November 18, 2010
POGO: The Case of the Missing Inspector General Reports, By POGO's Michael Smallberg, Nieman Watchdog, November 4, 2010
Lawmakers urge Obama to oust Afghan reconstruction IG, By Robert Brodsky, Government Executive, September 24, 2010
Obama selects veteran investigator as CIA watchdog, By Adam Goldman (Associated Press), CBS News, August 6, 2010
CIA goes 14 months without internal watchdog, By Adam Goldman, AP, The Examiner.com, June 8, 2010
U.S. Sen. Grassley: Works for stronger oversight of government regulators, Senator Charles Grassley's (R-IA) Press Office, IowaPolitics.com, May 19, 2010
Senate Votes for IG Independence, By Tom Shoop, Government Executive.com; Fedblog, May 18, 2010
Inspecting For Trust: The Role Of Inspectors General, By Brian Naylor, National Public Radio (NPR), May 4, 2010
UPDATE: Auditor Warns Agency Budget Cut US Security Threat, By Ian Talley, Dow Jones Newswires, Fox News, Fox Business, February 5, 2010
Lawmakers slam office overseeing Afghan rebuilding, By Richard Lardner, Associated Press; GovExec.com, December 9, 2009
Documents show Amtrak wanted to fire IG , By USA TODAY's Congress Team, USA Today, August 6, 2009
Government watchdogs fear bill undermines them, By Silla Brush and Kevin Bogardus, The Hill, July 29, 2009
Purge' of Inspectors General Raises Concerns About Political Interference, By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, FOXnews.com, July 8, 2009
Financial Agency IGs Say Bill Threatens Independence, By Ed O'Keefe, The Washington Post, July 6, 2009
Authority Over Bailout Office Is Questioned, By Amit R. Paley and Ed O’Keefe, The Washington Post, June 19, 2009
How Limbaugh Wags the Dog on IG and Obama, By Norah Mallaney and Jonathan Eyler-Werve, TPM Muckraker, June 15, 2009
Obama Fires Bush-Appointed IG Overseeing AmeriCorps, By Carrie Dann, CongressDaily, June 12, 2009
Responders without a clue, By Charlie Peters, Washington Monthly/Tilting at Windmills, May 1, 2009
NASA inspector general resigns, , United Press International, April 6, 2009
TARP Watchdog Finally Gets Expanded Authority, , The Huffington Post, March 25, 2009
Federal Inspectors Often Difficult to Reach, Group Says, By Ed O'Keefe, The Washington Post, March 23, 2009
Report encourages better performance measures for IGs, By Alyssa Rosenberg, Government Executive.com, March 20, 2009
Report: IG's Disregard for Whistleblowers 'Shameless', By Ed O'Keefe, The Washington Post; Keeping Tabs on the Government, March 20, 2009
Bureaucracy rules, oversight suffers, By Jennifer Haberkorn, The Washington Times, March 20, 2009
Beefy Résumé for a Giant Job: Policing Stimulus Spending, By Phil Rucker, The Washington Post, March 20, 2009
Report encourages better performance measures for IGs, By Alyssa Rosenberg, Government Executive, March 19, 2009
A Zealous Watchman to Follow the Money, By Scott Shane, New York Times, March 9, 2009
Challenges await Barack Obama as he prepares to take office, By Bill Lambrecht, St. Louis Post-Dispatch / Washington Bureau, January 18, 2009
Senate Confirms N.Y. Prosecutor As Inspector General for Bailout, By Paul C. Light, The Washington Post, December 9, 2008
New IG council focuses on training, interagency efforts, By Gregg Carlstrom, Federal Times, October 28, 2008
Advocacy group says office tried to purge mention of discrimination from report, , Detroit Free Press, August 4, 2008
Group charges religious discrimination case may have cost American lives in Iraq, , World Tribune, August 1, 2008
Those FISA IG reports, By smintheus, Daily Kos, July 8, 2008
David Tenenbaum seeks redress for anti-Israel bias in the Pentagon, By Rabbi Avi Shafran, Israel Insider, July 3, 2008
Pentagon's top watchdog leaving post July 13, By Dan Friedman , Congress Daily, July 2, 2008
Too many dollars, too few Army investigators, By Richard Lardner, Associated Press, June 12, 2008
Pentagon Overseer Calls for Larger Staff; Inspector General Says That Shortages Leave Spending Largely Unchecked, By Walter Pincus, The Washington Post, June 1, 2008
Sticker Shock and Awe at the Pentagon , Editorial, New York Times, May 30, 2008
Military Intelligence — Skyrocketing DoD budgets overwhelm auditors, By Justin Palk, Frederick News Post, May 29, 2008
Byron Dorgan's Contracting Fraud Crusade, By Brian Beutler, The Media Consortium, May 29, 2008
Wild west? , By John McCaslin, Washington Times, May 29, 2008
ThinkFast, , Think Progress, May 28, 2008
Defense IG seeks 33 percent increase in staffing, By Elise Castelli, Federal Times, May 28, 2008
Military billions called unchecked, , Los Angeles Times, May 28, 2008
Pentagon spending often unmonitored, , Chicago Tribune, May 28, 2008
Pentagon Auditor: I Can't Do All This Auditing!, By Matthew Blake, The Washington Independent, May 28, 2008
Pentagon Auditors Review Staffing --- Worker Shortfall Could Leave Agency Vulnerable to Abuse, By Yochi J. Dreazen, The Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2008
Report finds understaffing in DOD IG's office, By Florence Olsen, Federal Computer Week, May 28, 2008
Needed: More War Profiteer Police, By Andrew Tilghman, TPM Muckraker, May 28, 2008
Pentagon Watchdogs Swamped by Military Spending; $152 Billion a Year Goes Unaudited, By Noah Shachtman, Wired News, May 27, 2008
Pentagon Watchdogs Swamped by Military Spending; $152 Billion a Year Goes Unaudited, By Noah Shachtman, Wired Blog Network, May 27, 2008
Pentagon auditors unable to keep pace with spending: report,, , Agence France Presse, May 27, 2008
Report: Billions in defense spending unchecked, By Anne Flaherty , Associated Press, May 27, 2008
Report: Billions in defense spending unchecked, By Anne Flaherty, Associated Press, May 27, 2008
Discrimination Seen in Michigan Spy Case, By Eli Lake, New York Sun, May 21, 2008
Listen to: Strengthening the Unique Role of I.G.'s , With hosts are Lisa Bernstein, Jannika Cannon and guest POGO's Beverley Lumpkin, Fed Talk Radio, May 9, 2008
Bill Could Give Inspectors General Added Independence, By Marcia Coyle, The Legal Intelligencer, #4, Volume 237; Issue 88, May 6, 2008
McCaskill Asks Committee Leadership to Protect IGs in Defense Authorization Bill, , Senator McCaskill Press Release, April 28, 2008
IG investigations save $16B in '07, By Gregg Carlstrom, Federal Times, April 11, 2008
GAO - Jacqueline Harpp, Congressional Testimony, By CQ Transcriptions, Congressional Quarterly, March 13, 2008
Inspectors General Need More Independence, , OMB Watch, March 4, 2008
Report: IGs face budget, staffing problems, By Gregg Carlstrom, Federal Times, March 3, 2008
Sen. Daniel K. Akaka Holds A Hearing On Intelligence Community Management Reforms, , U.S. Senate, February 29, 2008
Props to the IG, By Max Cacas, Federal News Radio, February 29, 2008
The Daily Muck, , TPM Muckraker, February 29, 2008
Report Details Limitations Faced By Federal Inspectors General, By Darryl Fears, Washington Post, February 29, 2008
Report says inspectors general lack independence, resources, By Robert Brodsky, Government Executive, February 28, 2008
Watchdogs Undermined by Political Appointees: Congress to Reasses Office Created to Rein in Executive Branch, By Matthew Blake , The Washington Independent, February 11, 2008
Recovery bill keeps oversight a priority Capitol Hill heeds lessons of bailout, By Alex Daniels, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, February 8, 2008
Richard Skinner says the role of inspectors general is to investigate, but some IGs have become the target of investigators, By John Pulley, Federal Computer Week, February 4, 2008
Bill urges independence for agency watchdogs, By Matt Kelley, USA TODAY, January 11, 2008
Investigating the Investigators: Congress responds to complaints about inspectors general, by Danielle Knight, U.S. News & World Report, December 20, 2007
Critics Say Problems At State Dept. IG's Office Will Persist , by Dan Friedman , Congress Daily, December 10, 2007
Procurement chief chides IGs , By Matthew Weigelt, FCW.com , November 26, 2007
CIA’s Inspector General Should Remain Independent , , The Hill's Congress Blog, October 12, 2007
Congress Opens a New Front in Oversight, By Kathleen Hunter , CQPolitics.com, October 3, 2007
Members Push Bills to Boost Hill Oversight of Federal Igs, by Rob Silverblatt, Roll Call, July 18, 2007
Justice IG calls for jurisdiction over attorneys, by Anika Gupta, GovExec.com, July 11, 2007
Gov't Watchdogs Under Attack From Bosses, Larry Margasak, Washington Post, December 27, 2006
'Not President Bush', By Dan Froomkin, Washington Post, October 16, 2006
Where’s the Bite?, By David Nather, CQ Weekly, July 14, 2006
