Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph Cuffari is facing calls to be fired by the Biden Administration for supposed misconduct. This has prompted Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to defend the IG, saying the demands for Cuffari's canning are politically motivated because he exposed multiple DHS failures and wrote a letter of support.
For additional context, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity (CIGIE) released a lengthy 1,000-page report accusing Cuffari, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, of misleading the Senate during his confirmation process about being previously investigated.
The Washington Post described how Cuffari was under investigation for potential ethics violations while serving as the head of the Department of Justice field office in Tucson, Arizona, and tried to file a lawsuit delaying the probe. He has faced criticism for not speaking about the Secret Service deleting texts from January 6th, 2021.
Rep. Gaetz's letter to Cuffari noted that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray spoke against the Inspector General's removal while testifying on the first assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, saying, "I do not think it would not be a good idea."
"I agree with Director Wray: It would look like a cover-up on the part of President Biden and Vice President Harris. Given two assassination attempts on former President Trump, your continued oversight responsibilities related to the Southern border crisis, and now the numerous whistleblowers coming forward about FEMA mismanagement of the Hurricane Helene response, removing you might be politically convenient for those in power, but Americans would see it as a dirty trick," said Rep. Gaetz.
Additionally, the Florida Congressman suggested, "The Vice President would love to have the President remove you before the election, or in the lame duck period, politically the best time to effectuate such a coup. The bureaucracy is trying to give them a fig leaf to get away with it and to pretend it is anything other than a cover-up: last week's long-awaited 1000-page screed attacking you."
"It is telling, and rather gross, that this report comes out right before the November election. After all, your office has oversight over parts of the Department of Homeland Security that might be asleep at the wheel as our election technology is penetrated by foreign adversaries," Gaetz continued, adding that he, "much of Congress, and the American people stand with you. Keep uncovering the truth and performing your constitutional duties faithfully."
