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“THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSPECTOR GENERAL AUTHORITY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2009” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2584 on Oct. 20, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSPECTOR GENERAL AUTHORITY IMPROVEMENT ACT
OF 2009
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HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce today the
``Department of Justice Inspector General Authority Improvement Act of 2009.'' This Act will authorize the Department of Justice Inspector General to investigate attorney misconduct within the Department of Justice.
Whether we have a Democratic or Republican administration, I believe we should have strong and vigorous oversight of the Department of Justice. At present, however, the Department of Justice Inspector General is limited in his ability to investigate allegations of misconduct. Instead, present law, to the surprise of many, requires that all allegations of wrongdoing by the Department of Justice attorneys be investigated not by the Inspector General, but by the department's Office of Professional Responsibility.
In contrast with the statutorily independent Inspector General, the Office of Professional Responsibility is supervised by the Attorney General. It is absolutely contrary to human experience to believe that the counsel to the Office of Professional Responsibility can aggressively and independently investigate high level officials in the department when the Attorney General himself has authority over such investigation.
This limitation on authority does not exist for any other Inspector General of other agencies. Accordingly, the Department's Inspector General should have the same power Inspector Generals have throughout the government to investigate any and all allegations of wrongdoing that arise in their department.
In the last Congress, I offered this provision as an Amendment to H.R. 924, the Improving Government Accountability Act. It passed the House, however, it was stripped from the final Bill when the measure went to the Senate. I am introducing this legislation again today because I believe that transparency and vigorous oversight are essential to maintain the checks and balances of our constitutional system.
As documented in my recently released report, ``Reining in the Imperial Presidency: Lessons and Recommendations Relating to the presidency of George W. Bush,'' there was serious misconduct on the part of Department of Justice attorneys, including alleged misconduct by high level politically appointed attorneys, in connection with hiring attorneys for the Civil Rights Division or in other components of the Department. However, due to the unique limitations on his power, it was difficult for the Inspector General to fully investigate these allegations. I certainly trust those sorts of abuses are unlikely to recur in this Administration.
This legislation will help prevent future abuses and politicization of the Department of Justice by improving the Inspector General's tools to effectively carry out his mission. Such vigorous oversight is a matter of good government, regardless of the political party in power.
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