The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is investigating how and why the Department of State operated without a permanent oversight official for years under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and whether her staff had any involvement in the unusually slow effort to fill the vacancy.
No permanent inspector general was appointed to the State Department between 2008 and 2013, including the four years Clinton served as secretary. During this time, there was an "appearance of undue influence and favoritism" at the agency, according to a report issued last year by the State Department’s current inspector general.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R., Iowa), the chairman of the judiciary committee, questioned "how and why the State Department lacked a permanent IG who could serve as an independent watchdog for 2,071 straight days," in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Michael E. Horowitz, the chair of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, on Thursday.
"Secretary Clinton is the only Secretary of State to have served every single day of her tenure without a permanent IG overseeing the Department since that watchdog position was created in 1957," wrote Grassley. "Accordingly, the timing, circumstances, and reasons for that extended vacancy deserve renewed scrutiny."
The State Department had a temporary inspector general, Harold Geisel, during Clinton’s tenure. This arrangement has been criticized due to Geisel’s reportedly close relationship with the State Department officials he was responsible for monitoring. Acting inspectors general can also find it more difficult to operate independently because they lack the job security of a permanent official.
The Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, an oversight body in the executive branch, is responsible for recommending inspector general candidates to the president when a vacancy opens up. The president has the final decision on appointments.
Grassley questioned whether State Department officials under Clinton played a role in the slow-moving appointment process of a permanent inspector general.
Grassley asked the chair of council for the names of the candidates who were recommended, when the recommendations were made, and whether the White House responded. He also asked for copies of the council’s correspondence with the White House and "all records from any CIGIE official at the time relating to communications with the State Department about the IG vacancy or potential candidates to fill the vacancy."
Grassley requested from Kerry "all State Department records related to the IG vacancy or potential candidates to fill the vacancy, including communications between and among former Secretary Clinton, her senior staff, or any State Department personnel, any CIGIE official, or any White House official."
A 2014 report by Steve Linick, the State Department’s current inspector general, found evidence of misconduct at the agency during this five-year period. This included a U.S. ambassador’s alleged solicitation of a prostitute, suspected sexual harassment by a manager, and an alleged effort by Cheryl Mills, a Clinton aide, to influence an investigation related to a U.S. ambassador nominee.
Grassley also noted recent reports that Clinton may have mishandled classified information on her private email server while at the State Department.
"As these examples demonstrate, an inspector general must be independent, because agencies cannot be trusted to investigate themselves," he wrote.
Grassley asked Kerry and Horowitz to respond to his questions and record requests by Sept. 11.