DHS watchdog appointed by Trump has fueled an exodus of agency lawyers, sources say
The leader of the Department of Homeland Security's watchdog agency took office more than three years ago and since then the majority of lawyers in the Office of Counsel have left, according to multiple sources and internal documents reviewed by NPR.
More than 30 lawyers have left during that time, the sources and records show. That's left career staff assigned to the watchdog's Office of Counsel to contend with a revolving door that has hindered oversight of DHS, the government's third largest federal agency.
The pattern has hurt the attorneys' abilities to establish and maintain relationships throughout DHS and their own agency, a key element to oversight work, several sources said.
"You lose the institutional knowledge and expertise," one of these sources said.
The departures often stemmed from the lawyers' unease with how Cuffari managed the watchdog role. Seven sources with knowledge of the inner workings of the agency who spoke with NPR said the inspector general has fueled organizational dysfunction and abused his power.
NPR agreed to withhold their names because they fear professional retaliation.
Cuffari and his top leaders showed deference to DHS and its components, according to the sources who spoke anonymously with NPR. DHS has an annual budget of tens of billions of dollars and includes agencies such as the
