If President Donald Trump thought he was free from oversight, he is going to be enraged when he learns that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is preparing dozens of audits against him and his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump has moved to fire several Inspectors General recently to prevent them from acting as a check on his power over the $2 trillion stimulus package passed last month. A lot of money is at stake and Trump really can’t be trusted not to try doling it out to himself and his family members or even his buddies. Worse yet, he could use it for political gain by sending it to red states to shore up his power or use it for his campaign.
But while Trump smugly thinks he’s eliminated oversight of his actions, he’s apparently forgotten about the Government Accountability Office, which he has no control over because it’s part of the legislative branch. And the GAO is furiously drawing up audits to follow the money and then some.
According to Politico:
[E]ven as Trump has gone to war against internal watchdogs in his administration, the Government Accountability Office remains largely out of the president’s grasp because of its home in the legislative branch.
The GAO has quickly taken advantage of its perch, exploring the early missteps inherent in launching a multitrillion-dollar law that touches every facet of American life. By the end of April, at least 30 CARES Act reviews and audits — ‘engagements,’ per GAO lingo — are expected to be underway, according to interviews with senior investigators.
Topics will range from the government’s handling of coronavirus testing to its distribution of medical equipment, and from the nation’s food supply to nursing home infections and any missteps in distributing the emergency cash payments that began landing in millions of Americans’ bank accounts this week. The office’s top fraud investigator said it’s already received a complaint about a check landing in the account of a deceased person.”
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The report noted that 3,000 investigators and other personnel have been authorized to provide this oversight, complete with $20 million in extra funding courtesy of the stimulus package. It also helps that the agency knows what it is doing.
“We’re moving forward very quickly,” GAO healthcare unit chief Angela Nicole Clowers said. “We’re an existing institution and have a lot of institutional knowledge about all these programs. It gives us sort of a leg up.”
So if Trump thinks he can get away with being corrupt during this crisis, the GAO is shining a bright light and saying “not so fast.”
And you can bet that all misconduct will be revealed to the American people, who already have enough to be angry with Trump about.
Featured image via screen capture
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