CIGIE begins review of DoDIG cases
The Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) has begun a review of multiple DoDIG Whistleblower Reprisal Investigations (WRIs) as a result of concerns raised by complainants as well as members of Congress. Allegations of misconduct center around lack of timeliness of investigations as well as a lack in due diligence therein.
If you suspect wrongdoing by an Inspector General office in the conduct of your WRI, we encourage you to file a grievance with CIGIE.
File a grievance directly to:
Integrity-Complaint@cigie.gov
You can view my CIGIE grievance documents here:
Memo to CIGIE et. al regarding violations committed in DIA/IG investigations
Address to HSGAC and DoDIG regarding shortcomings of current WRI system
Thanks to the efforts of Congressional members and committees, we are happy to report progress on three lines of effort which are now being actively pursued:
DoDIG reviews of individual reprisal cases
Due to the number of allegations of violations committed during reprisal investigations, the DoDIG has agreed to begin review of certain investigations within DIA.
Audit of the Defense Intelligence Agency Inspector General
In accordance with the 2020 NDAA, an audit will be conducted of DIA/IG investigations and practices.
Expediting of Whistleblower Reprisal Investigations within the DoDIG
In order to recapture the efficacy of Whistleblower Reprisal Investigations, both in terms of recompense and accountability, the DoDIG will begin work on streamlining the investigative process, such that they are closed in a matter of weeks, vice months/years.
“Ladies and gentlemen, one of the DoDIG’s missions is: “Help ensure ethical conduct throughout the DoD.” Sadly, under the current construct, military members retain little to no faith in Inspectors’ General efficacy in that role. Whistleblower Reprisal Investigations, specifically, are far too lengthy, are sometimes (as was the case with my investigation) not carried out with the IG credo of “integrity and efficiency,” and, in the off-chance they are substantiated, offer little to no appreciable recompense to victims whilst rarely holding culprits accountable. The end result is the significant breach of trust that currently exists in the DoD because members of the military do not believe they will be protected from retribution and reprisal by the very system put in place to provide that protection.”
–Address to HSGAC hearing on DIA/IG’s conduct of reprisal investigations
Read my full address to the committee here.
“The end result is that perpetrators are not held accountable and, more importantly, no substantive recompense is afforded to victims. Even in the rare circumstances in which a reprisal allegation is substantiated, the amount of time required for that substantiation (in many cases, years after the reprisal), married with the divergent path a reprisal sets a military member on, means that no meaningful recompense can be offered. Simply put: there is no way to unwind the clock after a reprisal; the career damage is irreparable.”
–Excerpt from letter to Congress calling for reform in the DoDIG
How the Current IG System Fails the Military Member:
No Counsel. Victims of reprisal are not afforded any counsel by the military.
No Recompense. Victims of reprisal are set on a career-ending divergent path that cannot be recovered by current measures.
No Accountability: Perpetrators of reprisal are not held accountable.
No Faith: Military members have little to no faith in the efficacy of the DoDIG system. We aim to restore it.
The Department of Defense Inspector General system has failed to carry out its role as “independent watchdog”, especially as it pertains to ensuring that Whistleblowers are protected and perpetrators held accountable.
Furthermore, whistleblower laws are too narrowly defined and investigations glacial in speed. Read more on our call to revamp the DoDIG.
