Guest Columnist
Often in the news, the term ‘inspector general' or IG will pop up with reference to an internal government agency investigation. This isn't common in the private sector, but in government circles, every agency has an IG.
The IG (police agencies call them internal affairs) is supposed to do internal investigations and remain outside the chain-of-command so that the findings are not subject to political favor or partiality. The idea is that the IG is supposed to "call the shots and let the chips fall where they may."
During my Air Force career, I had a three-year tour of duty with the Air Force Inspector General. Thirty years ago as a Lieutenant Colonel, I was assigned to the Air Force Inspection and Safety Center (AFISC) at Norton Air Force Base, near San Bernardino, Ca. I was a team chief on the inspection side of AFISC conducting functional management inspections. We would be assigned a topic by the Air Staff in the Pentagon; assemble a team; develop a plan; and hit the road across the Air Force to investigate the issue. At the conclusion, we would write a report with corrective actions and brief the Air Staff.
The Inspector General (TIG) of the Air Force was our boss and he worked for the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF), appointed by the president. In that respect, we were outside the chain-of-command, but when you "stepped on toes," as I did on more than one occasion, you felt the pressure. The tough job of the IG is that he tells people that they've made a mess of things, and generals don't like to hear that.
Within the Department of Justice (DOJ), there has been an on-going IG investigation of a variety of issues. The subject has been not only the DOJ, but also its subsidiary Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), generally regarded as the preeminent law enforcement organization in the world. A central issue of this IG investigation concerns the 2016 FBI probe into the Hilary Clinton e-mail matter.
You may recall that while serving as secretary of state from 2009-2013, Mrs. Clinton used a private e-mail account on her personal server to conduct official business – highly unusual. Some of those e-mail messages included classified information, a serious security violation since her server was unprotected. And when forced to turn over the contents of that server, she deleted and destroyed more than half, claiming they were personal and not government business.
The FBI investigated this matter during the most recent presidential election race and exonerated her in what many believe was a ‘whitewash.' Since so many of the officials who made those decisions have been fired from their positions, the DOJ/IG has opened an investigation into the matter. Another issue that the IG is investigating is the document which supported the court order to initiate the "Russia collusion" probe just prior to the election.
The Steele Dossier was the basis for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to issue a FISA warrant permitting the electronic surveillance of a low-level operative named Carter Page who had an affiliation with Donald Trump's campaign and made a trip to Russia. This permitted the government to eavesdrop on the Trump Campaign and transition. Subsequent information gained through surveillance led to the appointment of a special counsel and the entire collusion narrative.
It is a complicated case. Although Special Counsel Mueller has not issued a report, it appears that there was no collusion and he is extending his investigation into other matters. Furthermore, it is now certain that the original unsubstantiated dossier was paid for by the Clinton Campaign and money laundered through a Washington law firm working for the Democrats. So, the investigation into Trump looks like it was based upon a poorly documented opposition research document.
I wonder if Agatha Christie could dream up such a plot. At any rate, the DOJ/IG Michael Horowitz is trying to make sense of it all and issue a report which will pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey (no pun intended). Horowitz is considered a straight-shooter, but in truth, we have no idea what he and his investigating team will say. However, nearly a dozen high-ranking FBI and DOJ officials have been relieved of their duties as a result of information the Horowitz investigation has turned up.
The Horowitz probe is important to establish confidence in our justice system. Our government should be non-partisan as I was during my long Air Force career. When one political party uses the weight of government to spy or persecute their political enemies as was the case with the Watergate Scandal in the early-70s, it is a terrible situation that a democracy must avoid. That is what the DOJ/IG is trying to establish – did this take place and what to do about it to prevent recurrence?