(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) Vice-President Leslie Paige released the following statement today regarding reports that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors does not plan to remove USPS Inspector General Karla Corcoran from her position until it receives the results of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE):

“According to one news report, the USPS Board of Governors has apparently decided to defer a decision on whether to replace Ms. Corcoran as USPS OIG until the Governors have an opportunity to review the PCIE’s final report, which isn’t expected until late May.  However, CAGW calls upon the Board to put Ms. Corcoran on administrative leave until a decision is made.  There have been credible reports that Ms. Corcoran continues to abuse her authority and misuse her staff.  For example, Friday, May 2, criminal investigators in the IG’s office were told by the IG’s management team, presumably under the supervision of Ms. Corcoran, to report to work armed and that their assignment for that day was to ensure that no media crews gained unauthorized access to the building.  They were told to have any unauthorized media personnel removed from the building if they refused to leave.  This behavior borders on the bizarre.  The IG’s criminal investigators are professional law enforcement officers whose job it is to investigate waste, fraud and mismanagement and make cases.  They are not Ms. Corcoran’s personal security force, nor do their job descriptions include protecting the building from the media.  Ms. Corcoran has a fully-staffed public affairs and media department to handle media inquiries. 

“CAGW continues to be concerned about mismanagement and abuse in Ms. Corcoran's office, particularly the treatment of whistleblowers who continue to work in the IG's office.  It is not clear whether the dozens of employees who are cooperating with both the PCIE and Sen. Charles Grassley's (R-Iowa) investigation are eligible for whistleblower protection under either the Whistleblower Protection Act or the Inspector General Act.  Ms. Corcoran and her entire management team ought to be placed on administrative leave and a credible acting IG should be brought in from another federal law enforcement or IG office in order to prevent any retaliation against employees and to begin to restore some semblance of professionalism in the USPS IG’s office.  Such a decision would also prevent any further misuse of personnel and IG funds pending a final outcome of the PCIE investigation.”  

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.