Press Releases :: April 3, 2007

Gordon, Miller, Nelson Move Toward Hearings on NASA IG Investigation

(Washington, DC) – One day after calling for the removal of Robert Cobb as inspector general (IG) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), U.S. House Science & Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN), Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Brad Miller (D-NC), and U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Matters Chairman Bill Nelson (D-FL), again joined forces to make clear to all federal agencies involved that they could expect further Congressional action on the matter.

Today Chairman Gordon, Chairman Miller and Chairman Nelson asked the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – specifically, the President’s & Executive Councils on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) – for immediate delivery of unredacted copies of their Integrity Committee’s (IC) report on the Cobb investigation.

Yesterday, the Committee received the Integrity Committee’s redacted report. In that report, the IC determined that Mr. Cobb had abused his authority, created a hostile work environment and had not maintained an appearance of independence from NASA officials. The three chairmen with jurisdiction over NASA immediately called on President Bush to remove the NASA IG from his post.

“According to press reports today however, President Bush has determined that NASA’s recommendation that Mr. Cobb develop ‘an individual leadership/management plan’ while attending a resident course at the Federal Executive Institute is sufficient to address these findings,” stated the Members in their letter to OMB. “We respectfully disagree. As a result, we are preparing for possible hearings to investigate Mr. Cobb’s conduct as Inspector General.”

Read the Members’ letter to Clay Johnson, Chairman of the PCIE.

Read the report.