"IG Report: Interior Reassigned Senior Execs Without Clear Criteria"

"WASHINGTON -- The Interior Department reassigned 27 senior executives 'without a written plan or clear criteria, and without consulting the departmental leadership,' according to a department inspector general report released Wednesday.

And because there was 'no documented action plan,' the IG was 'prevented from making a clear determination whether or not' the department 'met the legal requirements' to make the changes, the report says.

CNN reported in March that 33 senior executive staffers at Interior, 15 of whom were minorities, were reassigned unexpectedly in 2017, and some subsequently filed complaints.

Democrats had been concerned it was an effort to either silence the executives, force them to resign or punish them after whistleblower Joel Clement came forward to express his concern."

Clare Foran and Rene Marsh report for CNN April 11, 2018.

SEE ALSO:

"New Report Slams Chaotic Staffing Changes At The Interior Department" (BuzzFeed News)

"Reassignment of Senior Executives at the U.S. Department of the Interior" (Interior Dept. Office of Inspector General)

"Interior: IG Finds Problems With Senior Executive Moves" (Greenwire)

"Investigators: We Can’t Tell if Interior Dept. Reassignments Were Legal Due to Lack of Records" (InsideClimate News)

"House Task Force On Environmental Justice Urges More Diversity at Interior" (The Hill)