Democrat senator rages when Noem dares to enforce the law



Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) criticized Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for trying to enforce a statute that the lawmaker opposes.

The DHS faced pushback from Duckworth after the agency requested a list of the Office of Inspector General's ongoing investigations, accusing the OIG of illegally withholding such information.

In late January, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) met with DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to demand that the watchdog open a probe into the “egregious public execution of Alex Pretti and pattern of brutality from Trump’s lawless agents.”

'It is unfortunate that you are trying to score cheap political points rather than focus on the Inspector General’s illegal conduct.'

Duckworth speculated that the OIG denied her request because the DHS had sent the OIG “repeated tacit threats” to “sabotage” its investigations by invoking 5 U.S.C. § 417, a provision of the law that gives the DHS secretary the authority to terminate investigations that could harm national security or present a significant impairment to U.S. interests.

“I learned Kristi Noem repeatedly reminded DHS’s IG that she can unilaterally kill any investigation,” Duckworth wrote. “Why would she do that? Feels like a threat to me.”

If Secretary Noem chooses to invoke the statute to terminate an OIG investigation, the OIG must report the decision to Congress within 30 days, providing an explanation of its rationale and whether the watchdog supported the decision.

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DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

In a Friday letter to the DHS, Duckworth described seeking to enforce the statute as an “obscure authority” that has “never been invoked in the history of DHS,” adding that it is “contrary to the letter and spirit of the Inspector General Act of 1978."

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, “Senator Duckworth is arguing that a Senate-confirmed Cabinet secretary shouldn’t use an existing section of federal law because she doesn’t think it should exist. If Senator Duckworth and her fellow Democrats do not like the law that Congress already passed, they — as members of Congress — have full constitutional authority under Article I to change the law and assuage their own concerns. As it stands, 5 U.S.C. 417 is federal law, and it applies to Secretary Noem just the same as it applied to previous homeland security secretaries for decades without controversy.”

DHS General Counsel James Percival responded to Duckworth's letter on Monday.

“I want to express my surprise at your suggestion that DHS should only enforce the laws that you personally agree with,” Percival told the lawmaker in his response letter, obtained by Blaze News.

“I am puzzled that you would ask me, the Senate-confirmed General Counsel who swore an oath to uphold federal law, to become a law unto myself and pick and choose which laws to enforce. As you surely know, it is Congress’s purview to make laws, and it is the Executive Branch’s purview to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,’” Percival told Duckworth. “I decline your request to ignore the separation of powers and intrude into your own branch’s functions.”

Percival confirmed that the DHS had requested a list of ongoing investigations from the OIG, but that Noem had not sought to invoke her authority to terminate any of those probes.

“Rather, I requested on her behalf a list of all investigations to ensure she can evaluate whether it might ever be appropriate to exercise that power,” he continued.

Percival accused the OIG of “illegal conduct” by stonewalling such information.

“The real problem is that for years the Inspector General has been violating an implied requirement of the statute by withholding this information from prior secretaries and thereby making it impossible for them to faithfully execute § 417,” Percival wrote. “The fact that previous secretaries have ignored this law only demonstrates the incomparable leadership of Secretary Noem.”

“It is unfortunate that you are trying to score cheap political points rather than focus on the Inspector General’s illegal conduct,” he added.

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Tammy Duckworth. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Duckworth called Percival’s response “truly bizarre and deeply troubling.”

“I am frankly shocked that instead of simply denying that the Secretary is seeking to intimidate an independent government watchdog out of investigating potential crimes committed by DHS agents, it appears her brown-nosing General Counsel is proud of his efforts to sabotage IG independence on behalf Secretary Noem [sic] and is baselessly accusing Donald Trump’s own hand-picked IG of engaging in ‘illegal conduct,’” she stated.

The OIG did not respond to a request for comment.

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Declassified report: Obama’s FBI failed to search key evidence in Clinton email probe



A newly released report from the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General revealed bombshell findings about the Obama-era FBI investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released the 2018 report, which found that the FBI failed to complete a full investigation into Clinton’s “mishandling of highly classified information.”

'Weeks later, on July 31, 2016, Comey’s FBI formally opened the bogus Crossfire Hurricane investigation into President Trump’s disproven collusion with Russia.'

President Donald Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi declassified the report’s “Clinton Annex” and provided it to Grassley after he requested the information.

Grassley stated, “This document shows an extreme lack of effort and due diligence in the FBI’s investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s email usage and mishandling of highly classified information.”

“Under [former FBI Director James] Comey’s leadership, the FBI failed to perform fundamental investigative work and left key pieces of evidence on the cutting room floor,” Grassley continued. “The Comey FBI’s negligent approach and perhaps intentional lack of effort in the Clinton investigation is a stark contrast to its full-throated investigation of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, which was based on the uncorroborated and now discredited Steele dossier. Comey’s decision-making process smacks of political infection.”

The OIG report found that under former President Barack Obama, the FBI failed to conduct targeted searches of eight thumb drives obtained by a source amid the ongoing Clinton investigation.

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Former FBI Director James Comey. Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

The report stated that “the vast majority of [the thumb drives’] data has never been reviewed by the FBI.” It further noted that the OIG previously concluded that a “review of the thumb drives was necessary to conduct a ‘thorough and complete investigation’ and to ‘assess the national security risks’ associated with former Secretary Clinton’s use of a private server.”

Grassley’s office stated that Comey planned to exonerate Clinton before conducting an interview with her, ultimately officially recommending the DOJ take no legal action against her on July 5, 2016.

“Weeks later, on July 31, 2016, Comey’s FBI formally opened the bogus Crossfire Hurricane investigation into President Trump’s disproven collusion with Russia,” a press release from Grassley’s office read. “On that day, [former FBI Special Agent Peter] Strzok texted Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer, saying: ‘And damn this feels momentous. Because this matters. The other one did, too, but that was to ensure we didn’t F something up. This matters because this MATTERS. So super glad to be on this voyage with you.’”

Grassley’s office further noted that the OIG’s report revealed that “the Obama administration took efforts to scuttle the investigation into Clinton and protect her candidacy.”

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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The senator accused the then-FBI of taking a “kid gloves approach” to the Clinton investigation. Grassley thanked Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for sharing the new information with the American public, and he urged them to “continue to fully review this matter, including its national security impact.”

Bondi commended Grassley for his “unwavering, years-long commitment to exposing the truth and holding those who seek to conceal it accountable.”

“This Department of Justice is fully committed to transparency and will continue to support good-faith efforts in Congress to ensure accountability across the federal government,” Bondi stated.

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119 Amtrak workers loot $12M in record-breaking fraud heist — many keep taxpayer-funded gig: Report



The Amtrak Office of Inspector General released the findings of a bombshell investigation on Wednesday, revealing "the largest employee conspiracy our office has ever investigated."

According to the OIG, at least 119 Amtrak employees participated in "a widespread scheme," conspiring with New York health care providers to defraud the company's health care plan out of over $12 million.

'The sheer volume of employees who cavalierly participated in this scheme to steal Amtrak's funds suggests not only a serious lapse in basic ethics, but a troubling workforce culture, at least in the Northeast region, in which blatant criminal behavior was somehow normalized.'

The investigation stated that the fraud occurred between 2019 and 2022 and involved 28 now retired or resigned workers. Another 30 employees departed from Amtrak for "other reasons."

However, the majority of the 119 alleged crooked workers are reportedly still with Amtrak, a company that has never turned a profit since its creation in 1971 and leans on taxpayer funds to cover its losses.

The office said, "The OIG's findings on 61 remaining active employees were given to Amtrak for consideration of appropriate administrative disciplinary action."

"A dozen employees have been criminally charged in the case, and seven have pleaded guilty, pending sentencing," the OIG stated.

Amtrak Inspector General Kevin Winters noted that he hopes the investigation will serve as a deterrent for other employees and health care providers.

"The sheer volume of employees who cavalierly participated in this scheme to steal Amtrak's funds suggests not only a serious lapse in basic ethics, but a troubling workforce culture, at least in the Northeast region, in which blatant criminal behavior was somehow normalized," Winters remarked.

The OIG launched the investigation after an agent observed "unusual billing patterns." Upon further review, the office discovered that three New York-based providers with a high number of Amtrak employees as patients had submitted "questionable billings."

The employees reportedly "accepted cash kickbacks from three health care providers in exchange for the use of their insurance information, and in some cases, that of their dependents."

"The providers used the employee-provided information to file fraudulent and questionable medical claims for services that were never provided or not medically necessary. In total, Amtrak's health care plan was billed over $16 million and paid out more than $12 million during the scheme," the OIG reported.

Amtrak told Fox News Digital it has taken "significant steps" to address the fraud.

"Like many employers, Amtrak calls on medical benefit providers and insurers to do more to identify suspicious activity and stop medical insurance fraud," the company stated. "Amtrak strongly condemns this reprehensible act that occurred between 2019 and 2022 and is taking swift action with all active employees involved in the investigation."

"While we continue to work closely with the OIG to identify and stamp out fraud, we also continue to work on other initiatives to address this issue," the statement continued. "Amtrak has implemented various measures to enhance fraud prevention and empower employees to report suspected wrongdoing. These efforts include increasing oversight and strengthening efforts to eliminate fraudulent schemes."

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