President Biden informed lawmakers Wednesday that he will replace the embattled acting inspector general at the Commerce Department following a preliminary investigation into his role in the whistleblower retaliation scandal that led to his predecessor's ouster. government executives Have learned.
Mr. Biden's decision came after receiving preliminary results from a congressional investigation into allegations against Mr. Anderson and other administration leaders, according to people familiar with the matter. Acting Inspector General of Commerce Roderick Anderson will be replaced by Jill Beissinger at the end of May. Under federal law, the president must notify Congress at least 30 days before removing or replacing an inspector general.
Mr. Beissinger currently serves as Chief of Staff in the Department of the Interior's Office of Inspector General. Before she joined the department as a senior counselor in 2020, she served as chief of staff in the State Department's Office of Inspector General.
Wednesday's decision followed a bipartisan request from members of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee to replace Anderson. The committee conducted a 15-month investigation into allegations of whistleblower retaliation and other misconduct within the office, and found that Mr. Anderson, along with much of the office's senior leadership team, was involved in the incident at the time. It was announced that it was discovered that he had been “involved'' in the suspicions connected to him. Inspector General Peggy Gustafson abruptly resigned in January.
“The Committee found that some senior officials participated in the alleged wrongdoing, others claimed to be victims of it, and that some senior officials encouraged the allegations of wrongdoing and were themselves the targets of it. “We have considered credible evidence that this may have been the case,” the lawmakers wrote in March. “The chaotic nature of the situation reflects the dysfunctional professional environment within IG Gustafson's tenure within his DOC OIG…Given the committee's preliminary findings, the Commerce Department OIG It is inconceivable that a senior official within the country could lead the Secretariat.”
A spokesperson for the Office of Inspector General vehemently denied the allegations leveled against Mr. Anderson earlier this year, emphasizing recent improvements in employee satisfaction metrics in the annual Federal Employee Perspective Survey. And last month, the firm released a statement suggesting he had been cleared of wrongdoing.
“The Office of the Special Counsel conducted an investigation into allegations of whistleblower retaliation at the Commerce OIG based on actions taken in 2021 and 2022,” the special counsel's office said in a statement. “Acting Inspector General Roderick Anderson has received notice from the OSC that the investigation is closed without further action. These are the same investigations being investigated by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Allegations of retaliation. The OSC is the government's expert on retaliation, and it is significant that these investigations were concluded without any finding of wrongdoing by OIG personnel.”
government executives We have reached out to the Office of the Inspector General for comment on Wednesday's developments.
