Justice Dept. Watchdog Has Gone Silent, Lawyers for Whistle-Blower Say

A fired Justice Department lawyer's legal team says the agency's inspector general has failed to respond to at least 20 requests to investigate alleged misconduct, effectively stalling what should be independent oversight. The inspector general's office, which functions as the Justice Department's internal watchdog, is supposed to examine allegations of wrongdoing by officials and staff. The silence suggests potential breakdown in a critical accountability mechanism designed to police the department itself. The fired lawyer's lawyers view the lack of response as obstruction that prevents scrutiny of the claimed misconduct. The case underscores recurring tensions over the inspector general's independence and responsiveness to formal complaints within the federal government's largest law enforcement agency.