The NASA Inspector General

H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press - April 2, 2007

Three key members of Congress called for the removal Monday of NASA's inspector general, saying he abused his authority, was too chummy with NASA leaders and created a "hostile" workplace in the auditing office.

The call for the dismissal of NASA Inspector General Robert Cobb came after the lawmakers received a report on Cobb's conduct from the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency, which has been investigating complaints about Cobb dating back to 2005.

"Mr. Cobb must be removed for the good of NASA and the nation," Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., said in a letter to President Bush.

The two lawmakers are chairmen of Senate and House subcommittees with jurisdiction over the space agency. The letter was made public by Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, who also said Cobb should be fired.

Here is the Science Committee release from last night:

Gordon, Miller, Senator Nelson Call for Removal of NASA Inspector General

(Washington, DC) -- Science & Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) today released a letter to the President calling for the removal of Robert Cobb as inspector general of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC), and Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Matters both signed the letter.

The action resulted from a report from the Integrity Committee of the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) that found Mr. Cobb had abused his authority by creating a hostile work environment and had created the appearance of a lack of independence in his relationships with top NASA officials and in his review of his staff's work.

"Chairman Miller and Senator Nelson and I agree that NASA is poorly served by an Inspector General who is not perceived as being completely independent," Gordon said. "If whistleblowers and the Inspector General's own staff do not feel that they can trust him or work with him, he cannot possibly be effective. NASA and the nation deserve better."

"It is our position that Mr. Cobb must be removed for the good of NASA and the nation," Rep. Miller and Sen. Nelson wrote in their letter. "The Record of Investigation demonstrated that the office environment has seriously deteriorated and is affecting the staff's ability to conduct audits and investigations for fear of verbal abuse and ridicule." The Integrity Committee documented several incidents in which Mr. Cobb used profanity, threats and intimidation against his staff.

Additionally, there were also numerous incidents that, as a group, were sufficient to create an appearance of a lack of independence from NASA officials by Mr. Cobb. The Committee found that in these interactions, Mr. Cobb had not met the benchmarks for IG performance.

"Without both an appearance of and actual independence, neither his staff nor NASA employees will be able to trust Mr. Cobb. Trust is an essential element for any IG because he will not receive information if the perception is that he cannot be trusted," Rep. Miller and Sen. Nelson said.

"We've been trying to get answers regarding this investigation since November," Chairman Gordon said in promising to keep up the pressure. "If change for the better doesn't come soon, the Committee will take further steps to see that the NASA IG's office is put back on the right track."

Read the letter to the President.

UPDATE: In October of 2004, the Democrats on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform compiled a report on "Politicization of Inspectors General." The report found that at the time:

Connections to White House: Over one-third of the IGs appointed by President Bush worked in Republican White Houses prior to their appointments as IGs. In contrast, President Clinton appointed no IGs who had worked in any Democratic White House prior to their appointments.

Other Political Connections: In total, 64% of the IGs appointed by President Bush held some sort of political position, such as a political appointment in a Republican administration or a position with a Republican member of Congress, before their appointments as IGs. Only 22% of the IGs appointed by President Clinton had worked in political positions before their appointments.

Political Campaign Contributions: Over half of the IGs appointed by President Bush had made contributions to his campaign or other Republican candidates. In comparison, only 25% of the IGs appointed by President Clinton had made any federal campaign contributions.

Substantive Audit Experience: Only 18% of the IGs appointed by President Bush had previous audit experience, such as experience in an IG's office, at the Government Accountability Office, or at a private accounting firm. In contrast, 66% of IGs appointed by President Clinton had audit experience prior to their appointments.