"EPA Watchdog Accused Of Creating A Hostile Work Environment"

"The top watchdog tasked with overseeing EPA faced accusations that he abused his authority, wasted government money and showed partisan favor.

EPA Inspector General Sean O’Donnell denied the allegations, which an oversight body ultimately deemed not worthy of further investigation, according to documents obtained by E&E News.

The probe by the agency watchdogs’ oversight body was launched after Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s top Democrat, flagged a host of concerns in August that whistleblowers raised with his office.

Raskin in an Aug. 7 letter to Kevin Winters, who chairs the Integrity Committee for the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, or CIGIE, expressed “serious concerns” about allegations that O’Donnell had “executed his duties in a manner that suggest he lacks the independence and integrity required of an inspector general.”"

Hannah Northey and Kevin Bogardus report for E&E News November 6, 2023.

Source: E&E News, 11/07/2023