After 640-Day Wait, VA Gets a Nominee for Inspector General

After more than 640 days with the office vacant, the Veterans Affairs Department’s inspector general slot now has a nominee, President Obama announced on Friday.

The nominee is regulatory practice attorney Michael J. Missal, who has spent the past 25 years as a partner at K&L Gates LLP in Washington and is a former senior counsel to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The VA’s reliance on acting inspectors general for more than two years has irked numerous senators as the department has struggled to cope with medical center wait times, construction cost overruns and retaliation against whistleblowers.

Missal’s law practice focuses on government enforcement, internal investigations and corporate governance, according to his firm.

According to his White House biography, Missal previously clerked for the Chief Judge H. Carl Moultrie I on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was also a staff assistant during the Carter administration; he received a B.S. from Washington and Lee University and a J.D. from the Catholic University of America.

A White House official told USA Today that “The president selected Missal because he has a distinguished legal background and a proven record of expertly leading prominent, sensitive, and extensive investigations.”

The choice was welcomed by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, who said in a statement that he hoped Missal would “be more willing to work with the committee than the previous IG regime” to produce all subpoenaed material.  “For far too long, the VA OIG’s lack of permanent leadership has compromised veteran care, fostered a culture of whistleblower retaliation within the agency, and compromised the independence of the VA’s chief watchdog,” Johnson said. “Since January, I have been calling on President Obama to appoint a permanent VA inspector general, and I am pleased that he finally has nominated one today. “

 Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who had also decried the vacancy, added, “Every agency, and especially the VA, needs the strong, independent oversight that inspectors general provide.  I look forward to reviewing Mr. Missal’s qualifications, and I’m hopeful the full Senate will move forward with a speedy confirmation process.”

The last permanent VA watchdog, George Opfer, retired at the end of 2013. His acting successor Richard Griffin resigned in July after sharp criticism from whistleblowers for alleged interference in investigations. The post was filled since then by longtime VA IG official Linda Halliday.

Joe Newman, a spokesman for the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight, which tracks IG vacancies, told Government Executive, “It's nice to see the president move quickly to fill this position, especially considering we've seen vacancies go unfilled for years at other agencies. However, while there's nothing in the nominee's resume to raise red flags, there's nothing that really excites us either.”

(Image via Flickr user Senator Claire McCaskill)