October 25, 2018
By Fax: 202-224-6020
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
Chairman
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Re:

Request for Investigation into the Announcement of a New Inspector General
at the Department of the Interior

Dear Chairman Grassley:
Campaign for Accountability (“CfA”) respectfully requests that you investigate the
circumstances surrounding the recent announcement by Ben Carson, Secretary of the Department
of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), that Suzanne Israel Tufts, the Assistant Secretary
for Administration, would be leaving the agency to become the Acting Inspector General at the
Department of the Interior (“Interior”). We also suggest that your office meet with the Council
of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (“CIGIE”) to understand how it is
consulting with the White House to ensure that Inspectors General throughout the government
are staffed by highly skilled, independent professionals.
The Announcement of Suzanne Israel Tufts’s Appointment
On October 12, 2018, HUD Secretary Ben Carson sent an email to agency staff
announcing that Suzanne Israel Tufts, Assistant Secretary for Administration, had decided to
leave her Senate-confirmed position to become the Acting Inspector General at the Department
of Interior.1 Ms. Tufts joined HUD after working as a consultant and attorney in New York
providing services to nonprofits, foundations, and emerging companies. 2 Ms. Tufts was also a
member of the Republican National Lawyers Association and volunteered for President Trump’s
campaign.3 At HUD, Ms. Tufts replaced a career civil servant who said she had been demoted
and forced to resign after she refused to approve exorbitant expenditures to redecorate Sec.
Carson’s office.4
1

https://www.pogo.org/press/release/2018/trump-administration-replacing-interior-depts-watchdog-with-politicalappointee/.
2
https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-israel-tufts-89407ab/.
3
Lisa Rein, et al., Trump Appointee Tapped Days to Ago to Run Interior Department’s Watchdog Office Resigns
Amid Controversy, The Washington Post, October 19, 2018, available at
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-appointee-tapped-days-ago-to-run-interior-departments-watchdogoffice-resigns-amid-controversy/2018/10/19/9cae13b8-d3d5-11e8-b2d2-f397227b43f0_story.html.
4
Lisa Rein, et al., HUD Appointee Abruptly Moved to Lead Interior Dept.’s Watchdog Unit Amid Zinke Probe, The
Washington Post, October 16, 2018, available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hud-political-appointee-

611 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E. #337 • Washington, D.C. 20003 • (202) 780-5750
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 The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
October 25, 2018
Page 2
Four days after Sec. Carson’s announcement, The Hill published a story revealing Ms.
Tuft’s planned departure. HUD spokesman Jereon Brown told the newspaper at the time that
Ms. Tufts was being temporarily detailed to the IG’s office at Interior but that she would remain
a HUD employee. 5 Mr. Brown claimed it was a common move that happened all the time, but IG
experts said it was a highly unusual arrangement.6
Despite HUD’s statements, Interior officials seemed to be unaware of the move.
According to the Washington Post, the Interior Department’s Acting Inspector General, Mary
Kendall, only found out about the appointment when a colleague showed her a copy of Sec.
Carson’s email.7 The Inspector General’s office said in a statement that no official
communication had been sent by the White House or Interior.8 A spokesperson for Interior told
the Post that it was up to the White House to announce a new Inspector General, but the White
House never announced the move. 9
On October 18, 2018, Interior provided a new explanation. An agency spokesperson said
Sec. Carson’s announcement contained “100 percent false information.”10 Interior said the
White House had sent Ms. Tufts name to Interior “as a potential candidate for a position in the
Inspector General’s office” but she was not offered a job. 11 While HUD officials refused to
address the inconsistent explanations, White House officials told the Post that they were
surprised to hear of the plan to move Ms. Tufts from HUD to Interior. 12
The following day, Ms. Tufts abruptly resigned from the federal government. According
to the Post:

abruptly-moved-to-lead-interiors-watchdog-office-amid-ongoing-investigations-into-zinke/2018/10/16/30de03b4d164-11e8-83d6-291fcead2ab1_story.html; Jack Gillum and Juliet Eilperin, HUD Staffer Who Complained About
Carson’s Redecorating Resigns Under Protest, The Washington Post, June 27, 2018, available at
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hud-staffer-who-complained-about-carsons-redecorating-resigns-underprotest/2018/06/27/c586e572-7a1f-11e8-aeee-4d04c8ac6158_story.html.
5
Miranda Green, HUD Political Appointee to Replace Interior Department Inspector General, The Hill, October 16,
2018, available at https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/411631-hud-political-appointee-to-replaceinterior-department-inspector.
6
Id.
7
Rein, et al., The Washington Post, Oct. 16, 2018.
8
Id.
9
Id.
10
Juliet Eilperin, et al., Interior Secretary Zinke’s Approach to Wife’s Travels Raised Red Flags, Report Finds, The
Washington Post, October 18, 2018, available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administrationdoes-about-face-on-its-own-announcement-that-top-aide-at-hud-would-be-interiors-watchdog/2018/10/18/d90bbf7ad2fb-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html.
11
Laura Strickler and Monica Alba, Instead of Becoming Interior Department Inspector General, Tufts Resigns from
HUD, NBC News, October 18, 2018, available at https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/amid-confusioninterior-department-says-hud-official-not-taking-over-n921876.
12
Eilperin, et al., The Washington Post, Oct. 18, 2018.

 The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
October 25, 2018
Page 3
Suzanne Israel Tufts was scheduled to be interviewed Friday morning for another
inspector general position elsewhere in the government, according to a person with
knowledge of the interview. But she did not show up for the appointment.13
The Post also reported that Ms. Tufts had not been showing up to work for at least two
months.14 At the end of the day, HUD officials finally issued an explanation, claiming that “due
to a recent miscommunication at the staff level, HUD mistakenly announced Ms. Tufts was
going to be detailed to another agency.”15 The White House for its part denied blame telling
Politico, “The claim we hand-picked her is completely inaccurate.”16
Following Sec. Carson’s announcement and subsequent media stories, on October 18,
2018, Democratic members of the House Natural Resources Committee asked the Chair of
CIGIE to report whether the Council had recommended Ms. Tufts for the Interior position as the
Inspector General Reform Act of 2008 requires.17 It is unclear if the Council has responded.
Ongoing Investigations
The timing of Sec. Carson’s announcement is conspicuous given the status of several
Inspector General investigations into Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. On October 18, 2018 – the
same day Interior officials said the White House had submitted Ms. Tufts’ name for the position
– the Inspector General at Interior released the results of an investigation into allegations that
Sec. Zinke had abused his position.18
The Inspector General faulted Sec. Zinke for several issues involving traveling with his
wife, Lolita Zinke. For instance, the Inspector General determined Ms. Zinke inappropriately
traveled in government vehicles, which is against the agency’s policies.19 The investigation also
found that Sec. Zinke asked his staff to investigate whether Ms. Zinke could become a volunteer
at the agency to enable her to travel in government vehicles.20 The report also found Sec.
Zinke’s security detail followed the Zinkes on vacation to Turkey costing taxpayers $25,000. 21
While the Inspector General completed the investigation into Sec. Zinke’s abuse of his
position, press reports indicate there are at least three ongoing investigations into the Secretary.
13

Rein, et al., The Washington Post, Oct. 19, 2018.
Id.
15
Id.
16
Ben Lefebvre, White House Denies ‘Hand Picking’ Controversial Interior Watchdog Candidate, Politico, October
19, 2018, available at https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/19/white-house-interior-watchdog-candidate-915966.
17
Letter from House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raul M. Grijalva, et al., to Michael E.
Horowitz, Chair, Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, October 18, 2018, available at
http://democrats-naturalresources.house.gov/democratic-letter-to-council-of-igs-on-doi-ig-replacement-oct-18-2018.
18
Investigative Report of Alleged Abuse of Position by Secretary Zinke, Office of Inspector General, U.S.
Department of the Interior, October 22, 2018, available at https://www.doioig.gov/reports/alleged-abuse-positionsecretary-zinke.
19
Id.
20
Id.
21
Id.
14

 The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
October 25, 2018
Page 4
Sec. Zinke is under investigation for his personal business dealings with the chairman of
Halliburton, for his decision to overrule agency staff and approve a casino after meeting with the
casino’s lobbyists, and for his controversial decision to dramatically shrink the boundaries of
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. 22
Congressional Oversight
As you have repeatedly stated over the years, Inspectors General are of paramount
importance in rooting out government fraud and waste. In a 2016 statement supporting
legislation to empower Inspectors General, you stated:
If we’ve learned one thing in the last year, it’s that government needs more transparency
and oversight, not less. Inspectors general are our eyes and ears in government. They are
on the front lines in the fight against fraud, waste and misconduct, but they can’t do their
job if they can’t access the necessary government documents. This bill makes sure that
they have the tools and access they need to safeguard our tax dollars, improve efficiency,
and tackle misconduct. It also reinforces Congress’ intent to grant IGs access to all
agency records in the course of their work, a longstanding authority that the bureaucracy
has gone great lengths to resist.23
You also have drawn attention to the importance of establishing politically independent
Inspectors General. In a 2011 speech on the Senate floor, you said:
We need independent inspectors general. They should not be removed for political
reasons, so we need to make sure Congress is informed of the reasons for getting rid of an
inspector general.24
Indeed, that speech criticized the Obama administration’s firing of the Inspector General
at the Corporation for National and Community Service (“CNCS”) after he issued reports critical
of a program run by a major supporter of President Obama. 25 Specifically, you said:
Any attempt to undermine the independence and integrity of inspectors general raises
serious concerns. An inspector general that does his or her job runs the risk of losing
friends at their agency and the White House. The Congress must not sit idly by when an
inspector general is removed improperly. 26
22

Rein, et al., The Washington Post, Oct. 16, 2018.
Press Release, Office of U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, Senate Passes Grassley Bill Restoring Watchdogs’
Authority to Access “All Records”, December 10, 2016, available at https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/newsreleases/senate-passes-grassley-bill-restoring-watchdogs%E2%80%99-authority-access-%E2%80%9Callrecords%E2%80%9D.
24
Prepared Floor Statement, Office of U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, Grassley Outlines "No" Vote Against Eisen
Nomination, December 12, 2011, available at https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassleyoutlines-no-vote-against-eisen-nomination.
25
Neil A. Lewis, White House Defends Inspector General’s Firing, The New York Times, June 17, 2009, available
at https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/us/politics/18americorps.html.
26
Prepared Floor Statement, Office of U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, Dec. 12, 2011.
23

 The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
October 25, 2018
Page 5

And
Attempts to remove an IG must be evaluated with strict scrutiny. When Administration
officials are asked to provide information to Congress, I expect and rely on those officials
to provide the unvarnished truth.
Here, in a situation similar to that about which you previously expressed concern, it
appears the White House may have attempted to remove an Inspector General to subvert
inquiries into a political ally. As you know, the protections in place to avoid political
interference with an inspector general do not apply to an acting inspector general. For this
reason, it is all the more troubling that while Ms. Kendall was in the midst of several high-profile
investigations into the Secretary of Interior, the White House may have attempted to remove her
in favor of a political appointee, perhaps with the goal of thwarting these inquiries.
It is an odd coincidence that Ms. Tufts was appointed to HUD in 2017 after HUD
officials pushed out a career staffer who questioned Secretary Ben Carson’s conduct and then,
plans apparently were afoot for Ms. Tufts to replace another administration official investigating
a different secretary’s potential misconduct. Given the sensitive investigations into Secretary
Zinke’s actions and Ms. Tufts’ political ties to the White House, it is imperative that Congress
investigate why Ms. Tufts was slated to take over the Inspector General’s office at the
Department of the Interior.
Further, in light of the continued vacancies of Inspector General positions at Interior and
other agencies, we urge you to ask CIGIE about the role it is playing in the administration and
whether it can do more to assist the White House in nominating qualified, independent leaders to
serve as Inspectors General.
Sincerely,

Daniel E. Stevens
Executive Director