Homeland Security Slams TSA for Ordering Agents Not to Cooperate With Investigators
Jeff Edwards August 31, 2017
Montreal, PQ, Canada - November 15, 2015: Airline passengers waiting in line to pass through airport security at Pierre Eliott Trudeau airport
Internal communications unearthed by the DHS Inspector General detail how TSA management schemed to derail Homeland Security audits and obstruct federal investigators.
The Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has offered a scathing rebuke of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This time, the agency is being called to task not for failing to accomplish its mission, but for intentionally ordering employees to thwart investigators attempting to hold the TSA accountable.
According to a memo released last month by DHS Inspector General John Roth, TSA managers, in written communications, ordered workers not to provide documents to auditors. In some cases, employees were told specifically not to speak to federal investigators without prior clearance from TSA administrators.
“These internal TSA emails, of which we were unaware until recently, is contrary to previous DHS practice, violates the letter and intent of the Inspector General Act and DHS directives, and chills confidential communication with the OIG,” Inspector General Roth wrote of the recently uncovered emails. “They also contradict established DHS policy. As early as April of 2008, the Secretary of DHS reaffirmed the right of the IG to have direct access to all materials. In a memorandum to all employees, he reminded DHS personnel of their obligation to provide materials “to the OIG directly and immediately upon request.”
The strongly worded letter not only demanded that the agency cease attempts to obstruct investigations, but also provided evidence of attempts by the TSA to stonewall auditors. The memo even cites a laundry list of the specific laws and regulations that TSA managers were allegedly attempting to circumvent.
According to the official TSA response to the Inspector General’s complaint, the improper instructions to TSA employees represented an isolated incident and has since been corrected.
“TSA concurred with the recommendation and immediately took steps to resolve it,” DHS documents reveal. “The TSA Acting Administrator told us that the emails we highlighted above were sent by an advisor within one of their program offices to about 200 TSA employees, a small percentage of the total TSA workforce. She stated that the emails were sent without leadership review, approval or authorization, and do not reflect TSA policy.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
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I note that the piece does NOT go on to say that the TSA Acting Administrator confirmed that the employment or contract of the advisor who sent the emails in question has been terminated for cause.
That sounds like an element of a RICO violation. They use it on local government entities, so why not on TSA?
If TSA is unwilling to cooperate with DHS OIG then what chance do travelers have of finding a cooperative, helpful TSA? Houston, we have a problem!
I am typically not in the camp which demands people are fired for every little offense of PC violation; however, these allegations border on criminal and should be met with full diciplinary measures.