Michael Horowitz
DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz
Part 1: The war with the Obama Administration

Obama nominated Michael Horowitz in July of 2011 to fill a vacancy left open by the resignation of Glenn Fine in February. Mr. Horowitz was confirmed in March the following year, and sworn in on April 16th, 2012. [1]

It was a nomination Obama would come to regret. Obama's Most Dangerous 'Enemies' are Being Targeted

There is a pattern emerging in the Obama Presidency. He is at war with reality; his greatest enemies are facts. And he has been targeting for years a small group of people whose duty is to expose the truth. Their loyalty runs to the citizenry and not to Barack Obama. They are not Republicans and they are certainly not journalists. And Obama has been trying to muzzle them. One man stands in the way.

Inspectors General (IG) are government employees who are responsible for ferreting out mismanagement, fraud and corruption in the federal government. The Barack Obama presidency has provided them with a target-rich environment. They are responsible for uncovering a wide range of Obama failures. [2]

Horowitz inherited a position that was effectively neutered in 2011 by Eric Holder's interpretation of § 6 of The Inspector General Act of 1978. (Authority of Inspector General)

Holder and his legal team determined that the Inspector General (IG) had to request information. This allowed Holder (and other agency heads) to bog down IG requests in bureaucratic red tape, and in some cases, deny them outright. [3]

What caused Holder to make such a drastic move to block the IG in 2011?

Fast and Furious.

Michael Horowitz was a lame duck on day one. What did he do? He methodically went to war. One might call it a war of independence, because that is exactly what it was.

Shots fired!

March 5th, 2013 The Inspectors General prepared a report for Congress titled Open and Unimplemented IG Recommendations. This report drew attention to the stonewalling by focusing on the money being wasted. But it was much more than that.

Michael Horowitz laid the Obama Administration bare before Congress. These two charts from the report illustrate an administration that was wasting money at an alarming rate by........ ignoring the IG. [4]
Inspecter general recommendations ignored
Horowitz was laying the groundwork for an alliance with Congress, an alliance that would pay off in his quest for independence. He would supply them with information and appear at hearings to publicly make his case. An inside/outside approach. The balance of 2013, the DOJ IG bided his time and did the best he could under the circumstances. He would strike again on April 3rd, 2014, at the end of the DOJ budget hearing. As he is called to testify Holder walks by him without acknowledgement. He is a proverbial thorn in the side. [5]


Link

His opening statement is five minutes. He spends the first three of it discussing his organization before getting down to brass tacks.


Link

What ensues is a series of questions that are budgetary in nature with the exception of the line of questioning pursued by Senator Shelby. Shelby is in the minority as Obama has not yet lost the Senate. Shelby's time is limited. Watch how both he and Horowitz work together. Foreshadowing: Horowitz and Shelby reveal the legislative end game - Unfettered access. [5]


Link

In watching that hearing I found it interesting how the room cleared out and Horowitz was alone with just his team. A man on an island. August 5th, 2014: Reinforcements Arrive - In an unprecedented letter to Congress, 47 Inspectors Generals blasted the Obama admin for "serious limitations on access to records" that impedes their investigations. Note: other agencies were adopting Holder's position [6]

September 4th, 2014 : The Turning Point - On September 4th, Horowitz finally secured a Congressional oversight hearing for the Inspectors General. Issa called the hearing and is the chair (Republican's have the House) Here is his opening statement. [7]


Obstructing Oversight:

Concerns from the Inspectors General The legal document of record (105 pages) where Michael Horowitz expertly lays out his case against the Obama administration. Note the execution.[8] Where it all began: Fast and Furious - IG Horowitz details the obstruction of Holder that began with his investigation into Fast and Furious. Independence Compromised by the Obama Administration - Horowitz correctly attaches his fight for independence to the will of Congress being subverted.

Less that two weeks later the inside game begins to pay off when Issa introduces H.R.5492 - Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2014 as the 113th Congress winds down. A major victory for Mr. Horowitz in his war against the Obama Administration.

In November Obama loses the Senate and the 114th Congress convenes. Shortly thereafter on February 26th, 2015 Chuck Grassley introduces S.579 - Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2015. Horowitz alliance with both houses of Congress is now firmly cemented.

The Last Gasp of the Obama Administration

On July 20th, 2015, the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued a ruling against the IG position. The OLC provided Holder and the Obama Admin with their initial legal argument. (68 pages of legal mumbo jumbo) [9]
DOJ rules against horowitz
Doj rules against Horowitz
Going for the kill.

August 3rd, 2015 Michael Horowitz brings the full weight of the Inspectors General into the fray, blowing out the 68 pages of mumbo jumbo with just 2.5 pages of legal argument. Full doc is 5 pages 2.5 of which are signatures. [10]
Hororitz answer DOJ
Horowitz answer DOJ
Michael Horowitz Radio Interview

August 12th, 2015: A confident Inspector General Michael Horowitz takes to the airwaves to publicly discuss the OLC ruling. (The outside game) [11]


Victory!

December 7th 2016 Jason Chaffetz introduces H.R.6450 - Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2016. Democrats in both houses concede and the bill swiftly passes on voice votes forcing a defeated lame duck President Obama to sign it into law on December 16th, 2015.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz waged a war of attrition and independence against a corrupt tyrannical Obama Administration from day one. He forged an alliance with Congress, and using an inside/outside game went from an empty hearing room at a budget meeting to freedom.

Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz is a reformer and a fighter. I cannot spare this man.

References:

[1] Congress.gov
[2] American Thinker
[3] Cornell University Law School
[4] House.Oversight.gov
[5] C-Span
[6] Grassley.senate.gov
[7] Youtube
[8] OIG.Justice.gov
[9] Justice.gov
[10] OIG Justice
[11] Youtube

Part 2: The Sword and The Shield

The Forthcoming DOJ Inspector General Report into the 2016 Election and the Hillary Clinton Investigation [1]

January 12, 2017 the Inspector General released the following statement:
IG open investigation Hillary
The primary initiators: Senator Chuck Grassley Chairman Senate Judiciary Committee Congressman Bob Goodlatte. Chairman House Judiciary Committee
goodlate trump
Senator Chuck Grassley and candidate Donald Trump
Senator Chuck Grassley campaigned with candidate Trump in Pella, Iowa AFTER the Access Hollywood hit. He took a lot of heat.

Goodlatte endorsed candidate Trump in May. He has been roundly criticized for his frequent visits to the White House. One on one meetings with The President are rare.

On October 11th, 2016 Congressman Goodlatte generated the following letter to the Inspector General. Read pdf in full here [2]
goodlatte letter horowitz IG
On November 2nd, 2016 Senator Chuck Grassley generated the following letter to the Inspector General. Read pdf in full here [3]
grassley letter horowitz IG
Page 1 of Grassley letter to IG
Grassley's letter was significant in that he also included his letter to Lynch and Comey. A letter that was ignored.

The letters to the IG give you details as to what to expect. Rather than get bogged into the details, we are going to focus on the all important disclaimer by Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

Inspector Horowitz is letting everyone know in advance that his investigation is not limited and that he is ultimately not responsible for implementing the recommendations contained within it. Both of these details are important in the extreme.

Recommendations can be partially implemented, or even worse, completely ignored.

DoJ Ignoring Recommendations From Fast & Furious Fallout: Report [4]

Things are different. Much different.

Many have been critical of Sessions due to his inactivity and President Trump's open criticism with regards to the inactivity as well as the background of Rosenstein. I was too, until I saw this. Pay close attention to their facial expressions. [5]
rosenstein sessions
© C-SPAN
As Rod Rosenstein breaks character, look at the expression on Jeff Session's face as he does so.
rosenstein sessions
© C-SPAN
What did they know? I think it is rather obvious by now, but for those who cannot see it, consider this: The DOJ was informed about the IG Report into the agency once it began.....in January. Agencies are put on notice so that they WILL NOT INTERFERE. Interference can occur through direct actions that impede OR by conducting a simultaneous investigation. The jeopardy of a simultaneous investigation, even if well meaning, is that it can compromise the evidence and/or result in different findings. In the past year how many times have you heard Jeff Sessions say "We are not allowed to comment upon ANY ongoing investigation?" Too many to count. We assumed (and hoped) he was referring to a DOJ investigation. We were wrong. When people attacked Chris Wray for using variations of this line to evade and conceal they were correct in that he was using it to conceal. They erred in assuming the concealment was for nefarious reasons. Considering the past, who can blame them? Not I. I will however continue to point out that things are different this time. On multiple occasions Wray did not have to elaborate yet he did. Note his body language and what he says. #UnringTheBell [6]


He further elaborates by telling us what he meant by #UnringTheBell. It covers policies, personnel, and the re-opening of investigations. In short, EVERYTHING. Watch his body language and keep in mind that he did not have to elaborate, yet he did.

For those that missed it, here is my detailed analysis of the Chris Wray hearing and what it portends.

I have utmost confidence in Wray. I do not give that confidence lightly. I have a good feeling about Rosenstein. I will however, reserve judgement until after his hearing on Wednesday when I can study him more closely.

The same criticism leveled at Rosenstein is similar to that of Inspector General Michael Hororowitz. "He is an Obama appointee!!" With the implication being that he is corrupt. Guess who else was an Obama appointee?

Horowitz has the trifecta in that he was also appointed to positions by Clinton and Bush. Clinton/Bush/Obama were in power for 24 years. It is hard not to find someone in the executive branch that was not appointed by them. Instead of getting bogged down in the deep state hysteria, we will look at the recent actions by Mr. Horowitz.

New inspector general website allows public to oversee watchdog work

How much does a question cost?

Thanks to a new online resource from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), you can get the answer. CIGIE's Oversight.gov is a new one-stop shop that brings together the work of 73 federal IG offices, offering stakeholders - and fellow federal auditors - the opportunity to see real-time inspector general reports and recommendations.
"One of the very important benefits of this site is for the public to see what kind of work their watchdogs are doing, because ultimately that's who we are as 73 inspectors general," said Michael Horowitz, Justice Department IG and CIGIE chairman, in an interview with Federal News Radio. "We're there to make sure that taxpayer money is being wisely used, appropriately used, not wasted, and that government programs are being run effectively and efficiently." [7]
***

Here is a direct link to the investigation page and where I found this. The IG recommending action on a special agent we can rightly assume is Peter Strzok. Note the findings and when they were reported to the DOJ. [8]
Inspector General FBI leak strzok
Here is the page of the recently created twitter account. Note the date created. (Follow @OversightGov)
Inspector General FBI leak strzok
The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice is the most respected investigative agency in the United States of America. Their reputation is sterling and neutral. They are used by both sides. Just ask Tom Price.

The past year we have seen the IG investigation used as a shield to protect both itself and reformers within the DOJ. The IG findings will be the sword that enacts the reform.

2017 was the year of the shield.

2018 will be the year of the sword.

References:

[1] OIG.Justice.gov
[2] Judiciary.House.gov
[3] Judiciary.Senate.gov
[4] Daily Caller
[5] C-span
[6] C-span
[7] Federal News Radio
[8] Oversight.gov