The PCIE is an interagency council that is charged with promoting integrity and effectiveness in federal programs. It was established by Executive Order No. 12301 in 1981 and was comprised principally of the presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed IGs. Executive Order No. 12805, signed in 1992, reflected changes that had been made in the 1978 Inspector General Act (P.L. 95-452), as amended. The 1992 Executive Order primarily expanded the PCIE membership to include the Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency (ECIE), which consists of the statutory IGs appointed by the heads of designated federal entities. The PCIE is chaired by the Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget. The following are also members of the PCIE: Vice Chairperson of the ECIE; an FBI official, as designated by the Director, FBI; Special Counsel, Office of Special Counsel; Director, Office of Government Ethics; Deputy Director, Office of Personnel Management; and Controller of the Office of Federal Finance Management, Office of Management and Budget. In 1982, the PCIE established an informal working group to act as a clearinghouse for allegations against IGs and their staffs. The working group was formally recognized in 1990 as the PCIE Allegations Review Subcommittee under the Integrity in Law Enforcement Committee. The Allegations Review Subcommittee then became the entity for handling allegations against IGs and their principal deputies. Allegations against other staff, including Assistant IGs, were referred by the Subcommittee to the respective IGs. Pursuant to the authority granted by the 1992 Executive Order, the PCIE established the Integrity Committee in January 1995 to succeed the Allegations Review Subcommittee. The Integrity Committee’s responsibility was to receive, review, and refer for investigation allegations of wrongdoing against IGs and Deputy IGs. Although the 1992 Executive Order did not designate Integrity Committee membership, the March 1996 Executive Order No. 12993 stated that the membership would consist principally of the following: the FBI representative to the PCIE, who serves as the Chairperson of the Integrity Committee; the Special Counsel, Office of the Special Counsel; the Director, Office of Government Ethics; and three or more IGs, representing both the PCIE and the ECIE. The Chief, Public Integrity Section, Criminal Division, Department of Justice, or the Chief’s designee, serves as an advisor to the committee. The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, and one other actestablished 28 independent IGs in all cabinet departments and larger federal agencies, as of December 31, 1995. (See app. I.) These IGs are presidentially appointed and subject to Senate confirmation. IGs conduct and supervise audits and investigations; recommend policies to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness; and prevent and detect fraud and abuse in their entities’ programs and operations. They inform their agency heads and the Congress about agency problems, recommend corrective actions, and report suspected violations of federal criminal law found during their investigations to the Department of Justice. The independence of presidentially appointed IGs is protected in various ways, including removal by only the President who must notify the Congress as to the reasons for removal. During the period of our review, the PCIE had not formally adopted written policy or procedures for handling allegations against IGs and Deputy IGs. However, informal procedures did exist during the period for initiating both criminal and noncriminal investigations; and the PCIE generally adhered to them. The informal procedures consisted of (1) the October 1, 1982, draft procedures, entitled “President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency Procedures for Investigating Allegations Concerning Certain Senior Administration Officials” and (2) a description, circulated to the OIG community in early 1994, on how PCIE processed allegations. According to PCIE officials, allegations received by PCIE were assigned to its Integrity Committee for processing and review. The committee staff assigned each allegation a sequential number and sent an acknowledgment letter to the complainant or referring agency. If the allegation lacked specificity or was perceived to contain no criminal or administrative issues, the committee closed the case and referred the matter to the affected agency for information only. For allegations that warranted further review, the Integrity Committee referred the allegation to the Department of Justice, Public Integrity Section. The Public Integrity Section then determined whether the allegation, if proved, would constitute a violation of federal criminal law. If the Public Integrity Section determined that a criminal investigation was warranted, it could investigate the allegation itself or refer it to the FBI. Neither the Public Integrity Section nor the FBI was obligated to report the investigation’s result to the Integrity Committee because of potential privacy issues. However, the committee would generally be advised informally concerning the status of the referral and investigation. If (1) it was determined that a criminal investigation was not warranted or (2) the Justice Department investigation substantiated misconduct but prosecution was declined, the allegation was presented at the next meeting of the Integrity Committee for an administrative review. (See fig. 1.) PCIE’s Integrity Committee met quarterly to review allegations returned by the Public Integrity Section and investigations completed by the OIGs and other entities. The committee first determined whether to refer an allegation or investigative findings to a specialized agency or an OIG for consideration (see footnote 1) or close it with a letter to the PCIE Chairman and the complainant. If the Public Integrity Section or the FBI had substantiated a criminal allegation against an IG/Deputy IG but the Public Integrity Section had declined to prosecute, the PCIE Chairman would refer the investigation’s results to the affected agency head for consideration of administrative action. If a noncriminal allegation warranted referral, the Integrity Committee could (1) refer the allegation to the head of the affected agency for a response; (2) request an uninvolved OIG, or its staff on detail, to conduct an investigation; or (3) refer the allegation to an appropriate government-wide agency for review. For example, the Special Counsel, Office of Special Counsel, who as a member of the Integrity Committee participates in the review of all allegations, could ask that particular allegations be referred to that office for investigation. Upon completion of the agency’s follow-up, investigation, or review of an IG/Deputy IG, the agency head would notify the Integrity Committee of the results and what action, if any, would be taken against the subject of the allegation. If the committee concurred with the agency’s findings, the matter was closed with a letter to the PCIE Chairman and others as appropriate. If the Integrity Committee did not concur with the investigation, the matter was to be referred back to the agency head, or to another agency, for appropriate action. The matter was not closed until the committee concurred with the agency’s investigative findings. If an IG’s offense constituted a removable violation, the PCIE Chairman would refer the matter to the President. If the subject of an allegation fell below the IG/Deputy IG level, the Integrity Committee referred the allegation to the IG of the affected agency or to the agency having authority to conduct specialized investigations; e.g., an allegation involving a protected personnel practice (whistleblowing) was referred to the Office of Special Counsel. Upon referral, the Integrity Committee closed the matter with a letter to the PCIE Chairman and others as appropriate. If the Integrity Committee determined that an allegation did not warrant referral for response, it closed the matter with a letter to the complainant, the PCIE Chairman, and others as appropriate. It then referred the allegation and its decision to the affected agency head for information or for action that the head deemed appropriate. Fourteen of the 28 OIGs in our review had written procedures for handling allegations of wrongdoing by OIG employees. All but two of the remaining OIGs had informal procedures. The two exceptions were in the process of developing guidelines during our review. The OIGs referred all but three allegations involving an IG to the PCIE. Those three matters were referred directly to the FBI, a U.S. Attorney’s Office, or the agency’s Office of General Counsel. Most of the OIGs referred allegations involving a Deputy IG to the PCIE. All but one of the allegations involving an Assistant IG were handled by either the affected IG or the Deputy IG. That one matter was addressed by the Office of Special Counsel. Our review of the OIGs’ cases showed that their investigations generally met their policies as embodied in the PCIE standards for independence and due professional care, including the aspects of objectivity and thoroughness. This was true even though in some instances the allegations made to the OIGs could not be verified because the information was nonspecific, the source or witness was unavailable, or a significant amount of time had elapsed between the alleged incident and the filing of the allegation. We assessed the 72 allegations that the PCIE had received and closed during the 1990-95 period: 69 against an IG or Deputy IG and 3 against an Assistant IG. Fourteen of the 72 allegations resulted in investigations conducted by the FBI (5), the Office of Special Counsel (3), and various OIGs (6). These matters included such allegations as criminal misuse of the telephone and sexual harassment. None of the investigations substantiated the referred allegation, and none resulted in an administrative action. During the 6-year period that we reviewed, the OIGs received and closed 35 allegations: 22 against an IG or Deputy IG and 13 against an Assistant IG. Of the 22 allegations against an IG or a Deputy IG, 14 were referred to PCIE in accordance with then existing procedures. The remaining eight were either referred to independent entities or reviewed within the affected agencies. Allegations involving Assistant IGs were handled by the affected OIG or referred to an independent investigative agency. Of the 35 allegations, 21 resulted in investigations.