Team Obama has a bad record with Inspector Generals. One was fired for investigating Obama’s pal, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. Team Obama blocked a probe of why Inspector General Gerald Walpin was fired. Can’t forget the firing of the the AmTrac Inspector General who exposed fraud and was quickly fired without explanation. Obama conducted these firings without consent from Congress.
Also liberal blogger, Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake points out that Obama has refused to appoint an Inspector General to oversee the billions in bailout money awarded to Freddie and Fannie due it’s connections to ex-Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel, who sat on Freddie’s board as the books were cooked.
Obama has a lot to hide is the reason for his failure to appoint Inspector Generals.
From WaPo:
In the wake of an inspector general report that exposed wasteful spending in the General Services Administration, lawmakers are pressing the Obama administration about similar positions being vacant in several other agencies.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has scheduled a hearing Thursday on 10 vacancies, including seven that have lasted longer than a year.
The State Department position has been vacant since Jan. 16, 2008. President Obama has yet to nominate someone for the position. Interior has been vacant for more than 1,150 days, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction more than 440 days, according to a vacancy tracker maintained by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO).
Acting inspectors general have been temporarily filling the positions.
“I can’t imagine a president would tolerate not having a secretary of state, a secretary of defense, a secretary of homeland security, or a secretary of interior,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the oversight committee. “Likewise, tolerating inspector general vacancies at these departments and other agencies hampers oversight and sends the wrong message about what should be an unequivocal commitment to accountable government.”
White House spokesman Eric Schultz said the administration is working to fill the jobs.
“The administration is committed to strong inspectors general, and we are working diligently to identify highly qualified candidates to fill these important posts,” Schultz said. “The administration supports the work and commitment of all of the IG offices, including those currently being led by acting IGs, as they strive to ensure that taxpayers are getting the good government they deserve.”
What happened to Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” campaign?
