Laura Barron-Lopez:
To discuss the impact of this decision, I’m joined by Glenn Fine, former inspector general for the Department of Justice in the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations. And he also served as acting inspector general of the Defense Department during President Trump’s first term, until Trump fired him.
Glenn, thank you so much for joining.
To start, why are inspector general so essential to providing checks and balances for the federal government?
Glenn Fine, Former Acting Inspector General, Department of Defense: Well, thank you for having me.
Inspectors general are crucial to detecting and deterring waste, fraud and abuse, promoting the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of federal agencies, and preventing misconduct. They are established by the Inspector General Act of 1978, and they’re supposed to be independent and objective units located with each — within each federal agency to do their critically important mission.
They return money to the federal treasury, they deter misconduct, and they also let the taxpayers know how their dollars are being spent. So it’s important to support these independent and objective watchdogs.
