Washington D.C. (August 20, 2024) | This week, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), Chairman of the Committee on House Administration's Oversight Subcommittee, and Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent letters to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding answers about DHS interference in the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigations, which was detailed in the DHS OIG's report entitled United States Secret Service Preparation for and Response to the Events of January 6, 2021, which was submitted to Congress on August 1, 2024.

This report details numerous access issues the DHS OIG has been experiencing that have gone unresolved for years. It states, “[Department] officials have explicitly threatened to withhold information from DHS OIG in the future if DHS OIG releases information outside the executive branch that [Department] officials believe should not be released.” 

Loudermilk and Grassley's letters condemn DHS for causing this extended delay and its interference with the OIG investigation. 

Following the letters, Rep. Loudermilk and Ranking Member Senator Grassley released the below statements:

"My investigation has uncovered alarming reports that Mayorkas and the Department have been delaying the DHS OIG from conducting their investigations. I am very concerned that the Department would interfere at all regarding what information DHS OIG provides to Congress or what information the DHS OIG can obtain during their investigations. The OIG has an independent reporting relationship to Congress. Under no circumstances should the Secretary interfere in the Inspector General’s work," said Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11). 

“The Biden-Harris DHS is keeping its watchdog on a tight leash by imposing unlawful access restrictions and delaying information sharing, which has interfered with DHS OIG’s ability to disclose its full findings to Congress and the American people in a timely manner. DHS’ rampant lack of transparency is a disservice to the American taxpayer and highly concerning in light of recent Secret Service-related communication failures. If DHS is willing to keep Americans in the dark about January 6, how can we depend on them to provide the whole truth about July 13? It’s high time DHS let the sunshine in,” said Ranking Member Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). 

Click here to read the full letter to Secretary Mayorkas. 

Click here to read the full letter to DHS IG Joseph V. Cuffari. 

BACKGROUND

July 19, 2024: Oversight Subcommittee staff learned that the report, The Secret Service’s Preparation for, and Response to, the Events of January 6, 2021, was complete and on DHS Secretary Mayorkas’ desk for final approval. 

July 23, 2024: Rep. Loudermilk waived on to an Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing with the head of CIGIE, a group tasked with issuing standards for Inspectors General. During this hearing, Rep. Loudermilk confronted CIGIE about Mayorkas delaying the release of the DHS OIG report, to which CIGIE Chair Greenblatt said it was inappropriate.

July 24, 2024: Rep. Loudermilk sent a letter to Secretary Mayorkas demanding the immediate release of the report titled, The Secret Service’s Preparation for, and Response to, the Events of January 6, 2021. 

August 1, 2024: DHS OIG released a redacted advance copy of the report entitled,  "The Secret Service’s Preparation for, and Response to, the Events of January 6, 2021" to Congress.

August 2, 2024: DHS OIG released the report to the American public.

Washington D.C. (August 14, 2024) | Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) recently joined all House Financial Services Committee Republicans in sending a letter — led by Chairman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) — to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chair Martin Gruenberg demanding his immediate resignation. Despite announcing his intent to resign, Chair Gruenberg continues to push partisan regulatory initiatives while failing to take appropriate steps to address the widespread and entrenched misconduct at the agency.

To read the full letter, click here or read below: 

“We write to follow up on our multiple requests for your immediate resignation. Your unwillingness to leave the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) continues to erode the credibility and independence of the agency you are tasked to protect. The July 30, 2024 FDIC Board meeting is the clearest example to date of your efforts to politicize the FDIC. 

“At your direction, a long list of new matters was considered at the July 30th Board meeting, the majority of which were approved along partisan lines. One article described the policy dump as being ‘aimed at undoing Trump-era deregulation in a marathon board meeting.’ It further described the meeting as ‘the most policy-packed FDIC board meeting we’ve seen this administration—certainly the longest we can recall.’

“These reports only underscore your handiwork. Rather than work in a bipartisan manner to ensure broadly supported improvements to FDIC policies, regulations, and rules, you continue to pursue more partisan policies to the detriment of the FDIC’s independence. Unfortunately for FDIC regulated banks, these drastic policy swings create uncertainty and needless expenses. 

“Moreover, it is readily apparent that Democrat-appointed FDIC Board members only are willing to support your progressive agenda. For example, the Board approved changes to the chartering process for industrial banks (ILCs), pulled back changes for brokered deposits for partisan reasons, and approved a power-grab effort by Director Chopra, which was previously abandoned, to implement new oversight over asset managers. What is even more egregious is the fact that the 3-2 margins on the partisan voting only exist through the support of Director Hsu, who remains only an Acting Comptroller of the Currency, serving for over three years despite never being nominated by the President nor confirmed by the Senate.

“Your continued efforts to push through partisan policymaking does a disservice not only to the FDIC, but the member institutions and the customers it serves. Moreover, it further confirms that your commitment to improving the FDIC’s general toxic culture was merely a thinly veiled effort to keep power.

“We call upon you to do the right thing by resigning immediately. It is only after you vacate the chairmanship that the FDIC can begin to resurrect any vestige of independence that remains following your tenure.

“If, however, you persist in your recalcitrance and disdain toward Congress, the FDIC, and the American people, we ask that you appear before the Committee on September 19, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. to explain yourself and your continued partisan policymaking efforts.”

Blaze Media: 

The Department of Homeland Security's record of obstructing its Office of Inspector General could hamper the OIG's investigations of the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump, two lawmakers warned Aug. 20.

In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) rapped DHS for not cooperating with the Office of Inspector General and for insisting on heavy redactions to reports issued by DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari.

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Daily Caller: 

Leadership that completely ignores field agent concerns, combined with inconsistent communication protocols and a lack of preparation, lead to outcomes like the Secret Service’s failures on Jan. 6, 2021, former agents told the Daily Caller.

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report July 31 detailing the agency’s performance on the day of the Capitol riot. A fundamental breakdown in inter-agency correspondence led to disparities in intelligence gathering and coordination between the agency and the United States Capitol Police (USCP), the former agents said.

....

One example of the agency’s shortcomings was allowing Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to come within 20 feet of a pipe bomb at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) building in Washington, D.C, the OIG report notes.

The agency assigned two separate canine teams to sweep the DNC building where Capitol Police found the bomb the morning of Jan. 6 but did not assign an Explosives Ordnance Disposal team (EOD), which surprised agents on the ground, according to the report.

....

USCP received reporters of an “explosive device” at the RNC around 12:42 p.m. on Jan. 6, according to Republican Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk. Approximately 20 minutes later, officials discovered there was another “device” at the DNC while Harris was inside.

The violence at the Capitol had begun around 1 p.m., according to the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol’s report.

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Newman CEO: 

Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., (D-GA) joined Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) in introducing H.R. 9242, a bill to rename the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Georgia after the late President of the Georgia Poultry Federation, Francis “Abit” Massey.

Abit Massey, who passed in June at the age of 96, served as President of the Georgia Poultry Federation for 48 years and was recognized statewide for his leadership in the agricultural community. Massey was instrumental in establishing Georgia as a leading chicken producer, which is now a $4.2 billion industry.

For his dedication to Georgia’s agricultural community, he was recognized with the 1986 UGA Alumni Merit Award, the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s 2012 Harold E. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award, and the inaugural Medallion of Honor for Service to the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. 

Original co-sponsors include: Reps. Mike Collins (R-GA), Drew Ferguson (R-GA), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Nikema Williams (D-GA), Rich McCormick (R-GA), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Austin Scott (R-GA), David Scott (D-GA), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Rick Allen (R-GA), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

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Cherokee Tribune and Ledger News:

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