Another High Profile IG Steps Down

By Scott Amey

This week, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), Arnold Fields, announced his resignation. Today, under very different circumstances, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General (DHS IG) Richard Skinner announced his retirement. Mr. Skinner has seen his share of audit and investigation work as the agency has been through turbulent times with major projects related to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, border security, immigration, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the bungled Coast Guard Deepwater program.

I’m left with a feeling the Mr. Skinner got a lot accomplished considering the billions awarded in contracts by DHS each year, the sprawling department that he had to oversee, and the relative infancy of DHS. Moreover, Inspector General Skinner wanted more power and authority to allow for greater oversight and accountability.

However, could Skinner have accomplished more? Unlike the majority of IGs who operate independently of the agency he or she is overseeing, the DHS “Inspector General shall be under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary with respect to audits or investigations, or the issuance of subpoenas, that require access to sensitive information” to “preserve the national security, or to prevent a significant impairment to the interests of the United States” pursuant to Sec. 811 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. I don’t know of any specific instances that the DHS Secretary prohibited any IG project, but it is something that is worth asking Skinner and his predecessor Clark Kent Ervin and checking on the number of times this authority have been utilized.

Comments

[Robert MacLean]

In my opinion, Richard Skinner gets a "TOTAL FAIL" for ignoring countless Transportation Security Administration (TSA) / Federal Air Marshal Service complaints filed by me, Spencer Pickard, Frank Terreri and many other "whistleblowers" who were routinely ignored.

Ready to replace him with Mr. Skinner, the Bush administration gave Mr. Ervin the boot right after he constantly exposed TSA airport security checkpoint "scathing findings":

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-12-27-homeland-usat_x.htm

It took ABC News and whistleblowers to force the Republican-controlled Committee on the House Judiciary to expose the security lapses and force the TSA to revise all of its dangerous policies:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7070437

Skinner STILL didn't get it. It took the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate and release its own report -- THREE YEARS later:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09273.pdf

I really hope that the new DHS IG takes a look at the TSA's ticking time-bomb associated with their TOTALLY absurd air marshal in-flight nonlethal response policies:

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/im-french-f-you-smoker-on-flight-charged-with-assault-20110112-19n6s.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/10/21/us.brazil.air.marshals/?hpt=T1

http://www.komonews.com/news/12934217.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,45298,00.html

http://www.wtvynews4.com/news/headlines/561017.html

Enjoy your flight.

Respectfully,
Robert MacLean