(Washington, DC) – House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) sent a letter to the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce today requesting documents as part of an ongoing bipartisan investigation into reports that she engaged in whistleblower retaliation and misconduct.
“Retaliatory behavior from within offices of inspectors general against their own staff fundamentally undermine the purpose of the OIG and will not be tolerated,” the lawmakers wrote in April when they opened the investigation. They noted the vital role IGs play as watchdogs at federal agencies and the fact that, with billions of dollars of new funding at Commerce to implement the CHIPS and Science Act, it has never been more important for the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to operate with integrity.
In today’s letter, the lawmakers requested that Inspector General Peggy Gustafson produce a tranche of documents related to relevant personnel decisions by June 16, 2023.
A redacted copy of the letter is available here.