The decision to replace the acting inspector general of the Department of Transportation with a political appointee who already headed another agency at the department was met with shock, according to newly released emails obtained by an ethics investigative organization.
“Wow,” wrote one outside associate to then acting Inspector General Mitch Behm, who appeared to have been surprised to read a White House announcement that he’d be returning to his previous role as deputy inspector general. “They really only trust their own bench.”
“Interesting times,” wrote a colleague of Behm’s.
The emails, requested by the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington under the Freedom of Information Act, show that even Behm was stunned when he was abruptly returned to his prior role as deputy inspector general. Continue reading.