WATCHDOGS

A former inspector general discusses the critical role IGs play in maintaining the integrity of U.S. governmental operations.

Polls show that confidence in government has dropped to all-time lows; Congress bottomed out at 7%. The only institution that still garners trust is the military because “when it identifies mistakes or misconduct, in most cases it seeks to take corrective actions.” Fine, who served as an IG for both the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense, examines the invisible but very necessary work he and other inspectors general have done to hold government agencies and officials accountable for their actions. Unlike other external government watchdogs like the Government Accountability Office, public interest groups, and the free press, IGs exist within each federal agency but are independent of them. They “investigate misconduct and promote efficiency” and encourage transparency on behalf of their “ultimate boss,” the American people. Speaking with the candor that made him less than popular “in the halls of the Justice Department or on the Pentagon food court,” Fine cites numerous examples of agency debacles, including the FBI’s inability to provide more than 1,000 documents to convicted terrorist Timothy McVeigh’s lawyers and the DOD’s failure to implement strategies that would better protect it from price gouging by government contractors. The author also offers recommendations to improve oversight, including setting term limits for IGs and creating IG roles for the Supreme Court and federal judiciary, especially in light of recent allegations of ethical misconduct by multiple justices, most notably Clarence Thomas. While the book will appeal primarily to those interested in law and American government, anyone seeking to understand—and perhaps improve—the system of checks and balances crucial to a healthy, functioning democracy will find it useful.

An illuminating look at an overlooked but crucial element of American governance.