Following the now infamous January 6, 2021 events in Washington D.C., the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) launched a review to examine the role and activity of DHS in preparing for and responding to the events that day at the Capitol. The review was to include the DHS Office of Intelligence & Analysis’s responsibility for providing intelligence to law enforcement and DHS law enforcement roles and action.
DHS released one intelligence failures report in April of 2022, but has failed to release the others. This prompted Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-GA, Chairman of the Committee on House Administration’s Oversight Subcommittee to write to DHS Secretary Alejandros Mayorkas and demand he hand over the reports.
U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk
According to Loudermilk, DHS has a number of outstanding reports, including:
- Department of Homeland Security Law Enforcement Preparation for and Response to the January 6, 2021 Events at the U.S. Capitol
- United States Secret Service Preparation for and Response to the Events of January 6, 2021
“This obstruction appears to be a pattern of behavior to delay or prevent the release of certain reports that could be damaging to the Department of Homeland Security,” said Loudermilk. “At a time when the security forces of our country are under extreme scrutiny, to delay or slow walk the release of these reports is unacceptable. I look forward to the answers these reports will uncover, and my team and I will be holding Mayorkas responsible for his failures.”
In the letter, Loudermilk writes: “The Subcommittee independently obtained confirmation that the United States Secret Service Preparation for and Response to the Events of January 6, 2021, report is complete. Additionally, we are aware that the Secret Service has reviewed and cleared this report. Therefore, you alone are preventing DHS IG from releasing this report to Congress. Given the events of July 13, 2024, yet another security failure by the U.S. Secret Service (“USSS”) to detect and prevent a serious threat to a protectee, there is absolutely no justification for your delay.”
The letter goes on to say, “Based on information provided to this Subcommittee, since Secretary Mayorkas was confirmed in 2021, DHS has repeatedly obstructed, delayed, or denied the ability of the DHS OIG to conduct effective oversight, as is mandated by the Inspector General Act of 1978. Such examples include refusing to provide documents on the grounds of the Presidential Records Act and the Privacy Act, as well as instructing DHS employees not to provide documents directly to the DHS OIG. However, these reasons for obstruction purposely misunderstand the role of the DHS OIG to conduct internal reviews. Regulations such as the Privacy Act apply to releasing information to the public, not the Inspector General.”
