On Monday, Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari sent a letter to House Chairs Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) declining to issue an opinion on the Government Accountability Office’s erroneous and partisan August 14 report on the succession of leadership at DHS.
DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Alexei Woltornist issued the following statement on Inspector General Cuffari’s letter:
"The inspector general has concurred with what both the facts and the law made clear from the start: GAO’s report was erroneous, non-binding, and issued under highly questionable authority under federal law. Once again, the department urges GAO to reconsider its incorrect and transparently partisan report for the sake of the truth as well as the office’s dwindling reputation as a supposedly nonpartisan oversight mechanism."