• Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst called on a Justice Department watchdog Tuesday to investigate whistleblower allegations that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars.
• In a letter sent to Inspector General Micahel Horowitz, Ernst cited ATF whistleblowers and an Office of Special Counsel (OSC) report that accused ATF of wrongfully classifying non-law enforcement jobs as law enforcement. “This resulted in ATF bureaucrats being provided pay and benefits reserved for those law enforcement personnel including enhanced retirement benefits and premium pay rates,” Ernst wrote.
• While acknowledging that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is working with the Department of Justice and ATF to take appropriate action, Ernst expressed concern about “the limited scope of the remediating actions.”

Tagged: Politics