Warren Blasts Virus-Aid Watchdog, Who Hits Back on Partisanship

(Bloomberg) -- Senator Elizabeth Warren on Monday blasted the inspector general tasked with monitoring a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package for failing to fulfill his mandate, after a spat over investigating the role of lobbyists in the allocation of funds.

Warren, who had pushed to set up the oversight office and has long criticized the lobbying industry, in July pressed Brian Miller, the special inspector general for pandemic recovery, to see whether lobbyists had influenced decision-making in any specific cases.

After Miller, who previously served as a White House lawyer, said in a September response that Warren’s inquiry was baseless, the Massachusetts Democrat hit back on Monday.

“You have effectively refused to do your job,” Warren said in a letter sent Monday that was obtained by Bloomberg News. She said Miller had refused “to determine if this rigged inside game has corrupted the officials who are responsible for handing out” funds approved with the $2.2 trillion March Cares Act.

The senator, who mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination this year, also said Miller had declined to assess whether lobbyist involvement “resulted in waste, fraud, or abuse related to the expenditure of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds.”

Warren’s initial request included data from a report from Public Citizen, a left-leaning consumer advocacy group, which found that 40 lobbyists with connections to Trump’s administration or campaign had represented clients and received more than $10 billion in federal aid.

In his September response, Miller said that the Public Citizen report couldn’t be used as justification to launch an investigation -- because it included a “handpicked” set of facts and allegations. Miller’s office did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

“Targeting individuals based on political affiliation under the guise of lobbying concerns is the exact sort of partisanship and favoritism IGs must avoid,” Miller said in his letter. “At any rate, Cares Act-related lobbying -- like all lobbying -- is an entirely bipartisan activity.”

Miller has faced criticism from Warren and other Senate Democrats who say they are concerned that he can’t be independent from his former boss, President Donald Trump. Miller has vowed to be independent and says he won’t be influenced by his prior employment.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.