DOJ Veteran Takes Watchdog Role as Trump Shakes Up Oversight (1)

The White House appointed a career Justice Department veteran, Don Berthiaume, as DOJ’s new acting inspector general several months after its longtime watchdog departed.

Berthiaume will take over during a tumultuous period for independent oversight of the executive branch, as President Donald Trump fired multiple watchdogs upon taking office and DOJ’s IG has faced numerous requests to review allegations of politicization from senior department officials.

But Trump’s selection of Berthiaume as temporary IG, which came in an Oct. 3 notification to Congress, was met with relief by former DOJ officials who told Bloomberg Law they’ve been concerned that Trump would install a loyalist. Berthiaume spent a decade as an investigator at the DOJ Office of the Inspector General’s oversight and review division and has spent the past year as an assistant IG at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Since July, the Justice Department’s watchdog office has been led on acting basis by William Blier, who took over when Inspector General Michael Horowitz left in June for the Federal Reserve. Blier, who was previously Horowitz’s No. 2, will stay on under Berthiaume, two people familiar with the situation said.

Berthiaume will assume the role by late October, Trump told the Senate in a Sept. 29 letter obtained by Bloomberg Law.

Although the Inspector General Act requires 30-days’ notice to Congress on such appointments, the White House reasserted its view that the Constitution gives Trump virtually unimpeded power to fire and hire executive branch officials.

“I am providing this notification as a courtesy, a show of comity and respect between the executive and legislative branches,” Trump said in the letter, which was first reported by Bloomberg Law.

The White House is arguing in pending litigation that it rightfully fired former IGs, despite a lack of congressional notice.

“Mr. Berthiaume is the best available person to serve as Acting Inspector General of the Department of Justice at this time,” Trump said in the letter. “Mr. Blier can better serve the Nation performing other duties,” such as returning to his former job of deputy IG.

“I have determined that the priorities of my Administration will be better reflected with new leadership in this office,” Trump added.

Media representatives for DOJ and the White House didn’t respond to questions about Berthiaume’s appointment. It’s not clear if he’s being considered for the permanent role, which would require Senate approval.

Berthiaume is a “professional who is deeply committed to the Inspector General community and its essential mission of providing fair, objective, and independent oversight,” Mark Lee Greenblatt, whom Trump fired in January as the Interior Department’s top watchdog, said in a LinkedIn post.

Greenblatt added that given his vocal criticism of other Trump administration actions regarding IGs, “I believe it is important, and only fair, to acknowledge when the administration makes sound decisions” and “the White House deserves credit for this appointment.”

Berthiaume will inherit a DOJ watchdog office that’s been criticized for not taking a more proactive role in responding to complaints of White House interference and firings of DOJ civil servants.

“I have had multiple matters pending before the DOJ OIG in recent months with no forward movement,” said Michael Bromwich, who was the department’s inspector general during Bill Clinton’s presidency. “The office appears to be paralyzed.”

It also comes as multiple watchdog offices, including at DOJ, have had inoperable websites since the government shutdown began last week, after the White House Office of Management and Budget withheld funding from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.