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What Has Amtrak's Interim IG Been Up To?

By Robert Stacy McCain on 9.11.09 @ 6:55AM

Remember Fred Wiederhold, the Amtrak inspector general who retired abruptly in June? He was replaced by "interim" IG Lorraine Green, the head of human resources who has spent 12 years in management of the taxpayer-subsidized rail service -- and will return to management when her IG stint concludes.

"What kind of independence is that?" one Capitol Hill source said of Green's anomalous position as temporary head of the IG office.

In her "interim" role, Green has reportedly hired three consultants to prepare a report about the Amtrak IG's office. According to someone familiar with the contract, each of the consultants is paid $140 per hour, and limited to a maximum of $75,000 each for three months of work, due to conclude at the end of this month.

Michelle Malkin reports in her latest syndicated column that Amtrak has effectively neutered its "Office of Security Strategy and Special Operations" -- a special passenger-rail ant-terrorism security task force:

According to multiple government sources who declined to be identified for fear of retribution, OSSSO's East Coast and West Coast teams have not worked in a counterterrorism capacity since the summer. Their long arms were put under lock and key after the abrupt departures of Amtrak Vice President for Security Strategy and Special Operations Bill Rooney and Amtrak Inspector General Fred Weiderhold.

Read the whole thing. The "fear of retribution" part is what's disturbing. My own sources tell me that career staffers in the Amtrak IG office are very afraid of Green.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has tasked his staff to investigate the apparent pattern of pressure against inspectors generals, at Amtrak, Americorps, the International Trade Commission and "SIGTARP" Neil Barofsky, whose job is to watchdog the TARP bailout funds. Grassley's staff now have reportedly finished the main part of their investigation and are expected to prepare a report to be delivered later this fall.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Aug. 7: Senators Seek Answer From ITC About IG 
• July 28: IG-Gate Update: 'No Doubt' Political Pressure Led to His Firing,Walpin Says 
• July 26: SIGTARP Neil Barofsky vs. Geithner's 'Black Hole' Bailout 
• July 24: IG-Gate: Why the Matsui Question Matters 
• July 23: IG-Gate Update: Did Dem Congresswoman Intervene With Obama in Walpin Case? 
• July 22: SIGTARP Barofsky Shows Why Watchdogs Are Important 
• July 21: IG-Gate: Democratic Staffers 'Useless' in Investigations, SayRepublicans 
• July 20: IG-Gate: Connecting the SIGTARP Dots
• July 20: Behind Closed Doors
• July 17: Amtrak IG: Important Background
• July 14: IG-Gate: Sincere Doubts
• July 14: The Little Scandal That Could
• July 9: Democrats Question AmeriCorps Official's Stonewall on IG Case
• July 1: Malkin on IG-Gate: Does the Endangered Species Act Include Watchdogs?
• June 26: Grassley: Amtrak 'Systematically Violated' IG Law
• June 25: Eleanor Acheson: Lobbyist
• June 25: Obama Plays Hardball With Watchdogs 
• June 23: Amtrak IG Probe: Who Is Eleanor Acheson? 
• June 19: IG-Gate: Domino Theory 
• June 18: AmeriCorps Scandal Won't Go Away Soon