{"id":2353553,"date":"2024-10-11T07:04:01","date_gmt":"2024-10-11T11:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/obscure-group-asks-biden-to-make-firing-ahead-of-election-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-11T07:07:12","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T11:07:12","slug":"obscure-group-asks-biden-to-make-firing-ahead-of-election-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/obscure-group-asks-biden-to-make-firing-ahead-of-election-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Obscure group asks Biden to make firing ahead of election &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fobscure-group-asks-biden-to-make-firing-ahead-of-election-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2353553&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In\u2064 the lead-up to the 2024 election, \u2063an obscure governmental oversight group known as \u2062CIGIE (the Council\u200b of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency) could \u200dcreate significant controversy if President Joe Biden acts on its recommendation to fire \u2064Department of Homeland\u2062 Security\u200b Inspector General Joseph Cuffari. Cuffari has been investigated by CIGIE \u2062for over four years and has issued a 1,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/commanders-involved-in-chaotic-afghanistan-withdrawal-say-white-house-state-department-dismissed-warning-signs\/\" title=\"Commanders Involved In Chaotic Afghanistan Withdrawal Say White House, State Department Dismissed Warning Signs\">000-page report<\/a> accusing him of mismanagement and misuse of funding\u2062 while overseeing critical DHS operations, including immigration screening and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-has-signed-40-executive-orders-and-actions-since-taking-office\/\" title=\"Biden has signed 40 executive orders and actions since taking office\">emergency management<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063potential firing is\u2062 polarizing; some, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, defend Cuffari by \u200blabeling the report&#8217;s authors as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-alfa-bank-hoax-is-looking-a-lot-like-crossfire-hurricane\/\" title=\"The Alfa Bank Hoax Is Looking A Lot Like Crossfire Hurricane\">politically motivated actors<\/a>, suggesting that his dismissal would be perceived as a &#8220;dirty trick&#8221; against independent oversight. On the other hand, some Democrats support the firing, viewing the CIGIE report as a justification for Cuffari&#8217;s removal. This situation unfolds as Biden has already let go\u2062 of other inspectors\u200d general in\u2063 previous \u200bmonths, raising concerns among Republicans about the impartiality and \u200bpoliticization within CIGIE.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have raised alarms about CIGIE&#8217;s independence, claiming \u2063it has become a tool for political retribution \u200bagainst inspectors\u200c general who do not align with the administration&#8217;s agenda. Additionally, Cuffari&#8217;s chief counsel has filed a \u200blawsuit against CIGIE, emphasizing \u200dthe contentious and \u200dpolitically charged\u2063 environment surrounding this issue of oversight and accountability\u2063 in government.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">How an obscure government group could cause a major stir ahead of the election<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1792116\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>An obscure government oversight group could make major waves in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"2024 election\">2024 election<\/a> if President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"2024 election\">Joe Biden<\/a> fulfills its wishes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The group, a watchdog of government watchdogs, has suggested Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/10\/03\/watchdog-report-cuffari-biden-00182414\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"fire\">fire<\/a> Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari following a four-year investigation and a 1,000-page report. If he does, it could set off a storm of controversy.<\/p>\n<p>Cuffari provides oversight of DHS, one of the highest-profile government agencies, and has investigated its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oig.dhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/assets\/2024-10\/OIG-24-65-Sep24-Redacted.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"failures\">issues<\/a> with properly screening immigrants entering the U.S., its handling of the two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump, and the management of funds at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), among other things.<\/p>\n<p>He&rsquo;s also been under investigation for more than four years by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. The group, known as CIGIE, was created by Congress in 2008 to provide oversight of the government&rsquo;s overseers, but now stands accused of becoming a political actor weeding out IGs who step out of line. <\/p>\n<p>Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) came to Cuffari&rsquo;s defense after the report suggesting he be fired leaked. Calling the report a &ldquo;swamp screed&rdquo; and its authors a &ldquo;panel of Biden-Harris appointees,&rdquo; Gaetz said the matter boiled down to partisan retaliation for his oversight of DHS and warned Biden against following through with a firing.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Removing you might be politically convenient for those in power, but Americans would see it as a dirty trick,&rdquo; Gaetz wrote in the <a href=\"https:\/\/gaetz.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/gaetz.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/Rep.%20Gaetz%20Letter%20to%20IG%20Cuffari.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"letter\">letter<\/a>, which is addressed to Cuffari. &ldquo;You have independent oversight over the nerve center of the D.C. swamp, and the knives are out for you.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>CIGIE&rsquo;s 1,000-page <a href=\"https:\/\/oversightdemocrats.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/democrats-oversight.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/2024-10-02-IC20-059-Letter-to-the-President-Redacted-w-Encls.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"report\">report<\/a> accuses Cuffari of abusing his authority, spending nearly $1.4 million in taxpayer funds to investigate three members of his staff, and misleading Congress about his background during his 2019 confirmation process. Cuffari was appointed by Trump and unanimously confirmed by the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The IC makes the following recommendation: referred for appropriate action, up to and including removal,&rdquo; it reads.<\/p>\n<p>Cuffari would not be the first IG to go this year. <\/p>\n<p>Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/2990179\/ig-ousted-biden-pushes-back-assist-grassley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"fired\">fired<\/a> longtime Railroad Retirement Board IG Martin Dickman in March following a CIGIE investigation, and in May, Social Security Administration Inspector General Gail Ennis announced her resignation in the midst of a lengthy CIGIE investigation into her office.<\/p>\n<p>Some Democrats in Congress now say Cuffari should do the same.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In the wake of the independent and nonpartisan CIGIE Integrity Committee&rsquo;s report documenting IG Cuffari&rsquo;s misconduct, we call on President Biden to remove him as inspector general of DHS,&rdquo; Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) wrote in a joint statement.<\/p>\n<p>But several Republicans have called CIGIE into question, particularly over its claims to being independent or nonpartisan. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has fought to reform the process of hiring and firing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thursday-october-21st-2021\/\" title=\"Thursday | October 21st, 2021\">inspectors general<\/a> for years and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/2990179\/ig-ousted-biden-pushes-back-assist-grassley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"questioned\">questioned<\/a> the White House over the firing of Dickman.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/2990179\/ig-ousted-biden-pushes-back-assist-grassley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"told\">told<\/a> the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>in June that CIGIE has &ldquo;weaponized their investigative process against Inspectors General who are out of step with the goals and desires of the committee itself.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Over the summer, Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=s6V6i1vyRUE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"grilled\">grilled<\/a> CIGIE chairman Mark Greenblatt over allegations of politicization inside the group and a lack of accountability among its members. She is calling for reforms as well, which would include the group reporting to Congress rather than to the president.<\/p>\n<p>James Read, Cuffari&rsquo;s chief counsel, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3060485\/inspector-general-oversight-group-lawsuit-harassment-claims\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"sued\">sued<\/a> CIGIE in his personal capacity in June, alleging unfair scrutiny and improper access to his information by Integrity Committee Chairwoman Kimberly Howell, who as IG of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-spends-2-years-investigating-former-wh-physician-finds-hes-a-bad-boss-drinks-beer-sleeps-on-planes\/\" title=\"Pentagon Spends 2 Years Investigating Former WH Physician, Finds He\u2019s A Bad Boss, Drinks Beer, Sleeps On Planes\">federal government employee<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/778586572\/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-QWXbbLxQ3RxZ0jrIRwHw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"responded\">responded<\/a> by arguing that Howell is accountable because she &ldquo;functions subordinately to other members of the Executive Branch who are accountable to the President&rdquo; and that CIGIE&rsquo;s leadership is &ldquo;ultimately subject to presidential control.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But John Vecchione, an attorney who <a href=\"https:\/\/nclalegal.org\/case\/kristen-fredricks-et-al-v-council-of-the-inspectors-general-on-integrity-and-efficiency-et-al\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"sued\">sued<\/a> CIGIE last year, says the statement concedes that the group is not truly independent. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s independent when they want to escape accountability, but they&rsquo;re under the president when it&rsquo;s good for the Justice Department,&rdquo; Vecchioine said. &ldquo;The whole Cuffari imbroglio shows how dysfunctional this organization is.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The original intent in creating CIGIE 16 years ago was good, Vecchione argues, but he says it has now turned into a &ldquo;Washington snake pit.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If Cuffari was inside the tent with the rest of them, I don&rsquo;t think this would be happening to him,&rdquo; Vecchione said. &ldquo;What we&rsquo;ve seen in this whole sad example is they are just as inclined to abuse their power as anybody else.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The controversy has brewed underground for years, usually far away from the front pages of news outlets, but if Biden follows through with the suggestion to fire Cuffari, especially before Election Day, that could change.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cannot risk another damning report about their failed policies coming out before the election,&rdquo; Hageman said. &ldquo;So now they&rsquo;re trying to fire the official investigating the attempted assassination of their political rival.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>has contacted the White House seeking comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1792116\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1792116\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An obscure oversight group may impact the 2024 election if Biden acts on its call to fire DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2353554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Joseph-Cuffari-CIGIE.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3620,3728,4274,42786,32076],"class_list":["post-2353553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-biden","tag-election","tag-firing","tag-obscure-group","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Joseph-Cuffari-CIGIE.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2353553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2353553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2353553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2353554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2353553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2353553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2353553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}