The U.S. Needs a Commission of Inquiry into State Capture

Plus, we already have the infrastructure to staff such a nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry: inspectors general. Across the country, inspectors general like myself serve as independent watchdogs who investigate, prevent, and publicly report on fraud and corruption across government and make recommendations for future prevention. The federal IG offices remain among the most technically capable investigative bodies in the federal government. The investigators, auditors, and lawyers who work within them possess deep expertise in funding, procurement, enforcement systems, and internal controls, as well as the statutory authority to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse needed to retroactively conduct a wholesale review of this moment of American capture—and, crucially, to report their findings to the public. Each inspector general’s office would conduct the inquiry within the agency it already oversees: the Department of Justice IG would review and report on DOJ, the Department of Education IG would review and report on that department, and so forth throughout the federal government, all reporting up through a nonpartisan leadership structure to the public.