Today, U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, sent a letter to Arthur Elkins, Jr., Inspector General (IG) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regarding discrepancies in testimony from EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Craig Hooks, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Administration and Resource Management (OARM), in the IG's and Congress' investigations of former EPA employee and convicted felon John Beale.
"In an effort to pursue a higher standard of transparency and to root out waste, fraud, and abuse at the EPA, the IG must be thorough in their investigation of John Beale and his colleagues' roles," said Vitter. "EPA owes the public a complete narrative following the biggest case of fraud in the Agency's history, and that includes looking into the several discrepancies in EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy's and Craig Hooks' testimony."
In the aftermath of the IG's investigation into Beale, Vitter has questioned the independence of the EPA's Office of the Inspector General, specifically regarding the office's claims of EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy's involvement in reporting concerns with Beale, as well as other incidents of time and attendance fraud at the Agency.
The EPW Committee has been investigating the details surrounding the fraudulent conduct of John Beale, and in March 2014, EPW Republicans released a report entitled, "EPA's Playbook Unveiled: A Story of Fraud, Deceit, and Secret Science ," which detailed Beale's role in major policy decisions at the EPA.
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