WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) and Senate Committee on the Budget Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas demanding answers about DHS interference in the DHS Office of Inspector General 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, Chairman Loudermilk and Ranking Member Grassley released the below statements:

Chairman Loudermilk:
"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."

Ranking Member Grassley:
“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.”

Click the image or here to view the full letter to Secretary Mayorkas.

Click the image or here to view the full letter to IG Cuffari.

Background:

July 19, 2024: 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 Secretary Mayorkas’ desk for final approval 

July 23, 2024: Chairman Loudermilk waived on to an Oversight and Accountability hearing with the head of CIGIE, a group tasked with issuing standards for Inspectors General. During this hearing, Chairman 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: Chairman 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.