GAO Probes DHS Watchdog Over Whistleblower Instances

[ad_1] The Authorities Accountability Workplace is investigating the Division of Homeland Safety Workplace of Inspector Normal's dealing with of whistleblower complaints throughout the Trump and Biden administrations.

Based on a authorities e mail obtained by the Venture on Authorities Oversight, GAO, Congress' watchdog arm, requested Monday interviews with DHS whistleblowers who filed complaints between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2025.

"The aim of those interviews is to listen to your firsthand views concerning the whistleblower retaliation grievance and investigation course of and the way, if in any respect, whistleblower protections had been communicated to you," the e-mail said.

"We're additionally thinking about listening to about your experiences reporting the underlying allegation of wrongdoing."

The e-mail stated GAO won't "reassess" particular person instances however as a substitute is searching for "complainants' experiences with these processes to present us contextual background and assist inform our evaluate."

GAO sometimes points a public report following a evaluate, together with suggestions for enchancment.

Based on the e-mail, GAO "want to discuss with individuals whose whistleblower retaliation allegations had been investigated by DHS's Workplace of Inspector Normal or the Workplace of Particular Counsel — or whose appeals had been heard by the Benefit Techniques Safety Board."

The DHS Workplace of Inspector Normal, the U.S. Workplace of Particular Counsel, and the Benefit Techniques Safety Board are licensed authorities our bodies with which civilian govt department workers can file whistleblower reprisal complaints.

The DHS OIG may also obtain reprisal complaints from DHS contractor workers and uniformed members of the Coast Guard.

Two former DHS contractor workers, Barry Angeline and Dan McCabe, criticized the DHS OIG's dealing with of whistleblower complaints in a December opinion piece within the Washington Examiner.

"From fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2025, the Workplace of Inspector Normal's Whistleblower Safety Division reviewed 3,144 retaliation complaints," Angeline and McCabe wrote.

"It confirmed simply 11 — a validation charge of 0.35%. Different federal watchdogs corroborate 3%-8% of retaliation instances," they continued.

"That makes the Workplace of Inspector Normal between 10 and 25 instances much less more likely to verify retaliation than comparable federal workplaces."

The GAO confirmed the investigation, The Hill reported.

The event follows DHS saying it had requested Inspector Normal Joseph Cuffari, an appointee from President Donald Trump's first time period, to show over a listing of his lively investigations.

The evaluate was spurred by a request in October from two Democrat lawmakers, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, rating member of the Home Homeland Safety Committee, and Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, rating member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Safety and Governmental Affairs, based on The Hill.

Newsmax reached out to DHS and the DHS OIG for remark.

Michael Katz ✉ Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with greater than 30 years of expertise reporting and enhancing on information, tradition, and politics.