Office of the Inspector General
Encyclopedia
Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is an office that is part of Cabinet departments
and independent agencies
of the United States federal government as well as some state and local governments. Each office includes an Inspector General
and employees charged with identifying, audit
ing, and investigating fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement within the parent agency. In addition to representing Departments within the United States Government, some OIG's exist to investigate specific offenses (exp. Small Business Loans Office of Inspector General).
For more information, including a list of all federal OIGs, see Inspector General
.
Inspectors General have also been criticized for being, rather than guardians of whistleblowers, instead, ineffective, inactive, or at worst, instruments by which whistleblowers are persecuted. One example is from the Securities and Exchange Commission OIG. In a 2011 article by Matt Taibi, SEC whistleblowers said that complaining to the SEC OIG was "well-known to be a career-killer." Another example is from whistleblower Jesselyn Radack
's book Canary in the Coalmine, in which she describes her experience complaining to the Department of Justice
OIG; instead of helping her, the IG office helped the DOJ get her fired and restricted from practicing as a lawyer. . Another example is from the Thomas Andrews Drake
case, in which several complainants to the Department of Defense
OIG over NSA's Trailblazer Project
were later raided by the FBI and some threatened with criminal prosecution.
United States Cabinet
The Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, which are generally the heads of the federal executive departments...
and independent agencies
Independent agencies of the United States government
Independent agencies of the United States federal government are those agencies that exist outside of the federal executive departments...
of the United States federal government as well as some state and local governments. Each office includes an Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
and employees charged with identifying, audit
Audit
The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
ing, and investigating fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement within the parent agency. In addition to representing Departments within the United States Government, some OIG's exist to investigate specific offenses (exp. Small Business Loans Office of Inspector General).
For more information, including a list of all federal OIGs, see Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
.
Inspectors General have also been criticized for being, rather than guardians of whistleblowers, instead, ineffective, inactive, or at worst, instruments by which whistleblowers are persecuted. One example is from the Securities and Exchange Commission OIG. In a 2011 article by Matt Taibi, SEC whistleblowers said that complaining to the SEC OIG was "well-known to be a career-killer." Another example is from whistleblower Jesselyn Radack
Jesselyn Radack
Jesselyn Radack is a former ethics adviser to the United States Department of Justice who came to prominence as a whistleblower after she disclosed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation committed an ethics violation in its interrogation of John Walker Lindh , without an attorney present, and...
's book Canary in the Coalmine, in which she describes her experience complaining to the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
OIG; instead of helping her, the IG office helped the DOJ get her fired and restricted from practicing as a lawyer. . Another example is from the Thomas Andrews Drake
Thomas Andrews Drake
Thomas Andrews Drake is a former senior official of the U.S. National Security Agency , decorated United States Air Force and United States Navy veteran, computer software expert, linguist, management and leadership specialist, and whistleblower. In 2010 the government alleged that he 'mishandled'...
case, in which several complainants to the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
OIG over NSA's Trailblazer Project
Trailblazer Project
Trailblazer was a United States National Security Agency program intended to analyze data carried on communications networks like the internet. It was able to track communication methods such as cell phones and e-mail...
were later raided by the FBI and some threatened with criminal prosecution.