Justice Department’s Inspector General Accused of Political Bias
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Justice Department is facing fire after reports emerged that some of its personnel have apparent political biases against the targets of their investigations. The OIG’s mission is to detect and deter fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct within the Justice Department. Its personnel are non-political employees who are not supposed to shift with changes to the executive branch.
However, documents reviewed by Fox News Digital indicate that certain OIG personnel, including those overseeing investigations into Trump administration political appointees, appear to hold partisan views. One OIG attorney, Deborah Falk Zerwitz, has donated over $6,466 to Democratic candidates and organizations since 2007. Zerwitz is currently leading the OIG’s investigation into the Justice Department’s 2020 probe into deaths in state-run nursing homes.
Zerwitz’s social media activity also raises concerns about her impartiality. She has liked dozens of posts disparaging then-Attorney General Bill Barr and other Trump appointees. One post she liked suggested disbarring all White House lawyers drafting executive orders, while another accused Barr of promoting a myth of unaccountable career prosecutors. She also expressed support for posts that referred to Trump and his supporters as racist, homophobic, and fascists.
Another OIG lawyer involved in the nursing home death probe, Jennifer Ramella, donated over $300 to the Democratic PAC ActBlue between 2020 and 2022. Christina Monta, a former OIG counsel who investigated the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania’s probe into mail-in ballot issues, contributed $1,014.50 to ActBlue and Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Senate campaign.
America First Legal (AFL) has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the DOJ, seeking to investigate the alleged political bias within the OIG. AFL argues that such biases undermine public trust and the integrity of government institutions.
The OIG has defended its work as objective and fact-based, pointing to its reports on FISA abuses and Operation Fast and Furious. The Civil Service Reform Act also prohibits OIG from discriminating against employees based on their political affiliations.
However, critics like AFL executive director Gene Hamilton believe that the OIG’s alleged political affiliations compromise its ability to serve as an impartial watchdog. They argue that personnel with strong partisan views may be more likely to target political opponents or ignore misconduct by those with whom they share political beliefs.
