NPR Report: “Cronyism, ‘Wasteful’ Spending Accusations Roil Government Publishing Office”

From National Public Radio:

Allegations of cronyism, wasteful spending and other misconduct are roiling a little-known federal agency in charge of producing and distributing the government’s official documents, including paper questionnaires for the upcoming 2020 census.
According to an internal watchdog report obtained by NPR, two officials at the U.S. Government Publishing Office — previously known as the Government Printing Office — allegedly violated federal laws and regulations by filling agency jobs with unqualified candidates, including an official’s son. The GPO’s Office of Inspector General has not finalized its findings, but in June, it sent an interim report to the joint congressional committee that oversees the agency.
[Clip]
The inspector general’s office found “mismanagement, misuse of position, and disregard” for hiring and contracting rules by two of the agency’s most senior managers over the course of four years, beginning in 2014 during the Obama administration, according to the report.
[Clip]
In an email to NPR, the GPO’s chief public relations officer, Gary Somerset, said that the agency cannot comment at this time about the interim IG report because “this issue is still part of an ongoing IG investigation.”

Read the Complete Article

Filed under: Jobs, Journal Articles, News, Publishing