Press Releases
Rep. Gosar: “Obstruction to Government Transparency Starts at the Top”
Washington, DC,
February 3, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after participating in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing titled, “Inspectors General: Independence, Access and Authority”:
Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after participating in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing titled, “Inspectors General: Independence, Access and Authority”: “When we pull back the curtain hiding the Obama Administration’s executive actions we are able to see the true culture of cover-up implemented by senior officials within these agencies. Given the countless scandals surrounding this Administration, it is unthinkable that 47 of the 73 total offices of Inspectors General (IG), charged with the responsibility of investigating the actions of our federal government, would feel so obstructed from fulfilling their duties that they have come to Congress pleading for help. “The Inspector General Act of 1978 guarantees that our IGs have ‘complete, unfiltered, and timely access to all information and materials…without unreasonable administrative burdens’. Yet today’s hearing clearly demonstrates that the Obama Administration has no intention of following this law or cooperating with our nation’s IG community. The various tactics used to obstruct investigations have included slow-walking requested documents, weakening whistle blower protections, scrubbing government phones and hardrives and simply refusing to cooperate with various requests from these independent investigators. I want to recognize one of today’s witnesses, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice Michael E. Horowitz, for his honest efforts to remove the roadblocks preventing more government transparency. “When the Administration blatantly refuses to cooperate with IG investigations and defies their legal authority, they are not only violating the law, they are deceiving the American people. In doing so, President Obama and his appointed gang of unaccountable bureaucrats threaten the fundamental trust that bonds our nation together and protects our liberty.” Background: The video of Congressman Gosar’s questions at today’s hearing can be found HERE.
Recent articles detailing the Administration’s efforts to block IG investigations include: The Washington Post: Dozens of inspectors general say federal agencies hindering oversight |