President Donald Trump’s abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey has left many in Washington and around the country wondering if we are indeed in the middle of a full-blown Watergate-style constitutional crisis.
The president’s actions have amplified the already raucous calls for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the alleged Russia-Trump connection.
{mosads}However, a special prosecutor is appointed by Congress or the Department of Justice, and many members of congressional leadership, the FBI, and the DOJ have a muddled history with the recent election and the president himself.
With such unprecedented events surrounding this investigation, we must consider if the traditional mechanism of a special prosecutor is still the best way to independently, thoroughly, and fairly investigate Russia’s ties with the current administration.
That is to say that perhaps, in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are required.
So what other options are there?
I propose thinking outside the box and leveraging a dedicated, professional and, most importantly, wholly independent investigative force which already exists and is ready at a moment’s notice: The inspector general.
Though most have heard the title, many in the public don’t know that the inspector generals are an independent community of investigators, auditors, attorneys, and inspectors within the government and military.
Moreover, the inspector general’s sole responsibility is to identify and investigate fraud, waste, abuse, and gross mismanagement.
What could be more appropriate for the Russia investigation?
Inspector generals are the perfect mechanism for the Russia investigation because their ranks are filled with specialists who have spent careers rooting out areas of weakness in federal government operations while upholding the highest levels of professional independence from influence and coercion.
An inspector general-led investigation provides the independence and openness which is often lacking in inquiries directed by special prosecutors.
Furthermore, in the case of a grand jury, the findings may not even be released if indictments are not eventually handed down.
With an investigation, the report could be either directly released by Congress or made available via the Freedom of Information Act.
In addition to increased transparency over a special prosecutor, the IG community’s level of expertise and independence is unparalleled in both the private and public sectors.
This independent professionalism is precisely what the American people deserve for an investigation of this magnitude.
Furthermore, an inspector general-led investigation is also what the government needs to earn back the public trust which has been so greatly damaged by the whole Russia-Trump debacle.
So, instead of business as usual, what Congress must do is ask the inspector general community for a team of its best attorneys and investigators to get on the case; and in response, the American people will have a thorough, independent, and timely inquiry into Russia’s ties with the White House.
Alexander S. Balkin is an inspector general for the Department of the Navy. The views expressed are his own and do not represent the position of any government agency. His work has appeared in Salon.com, the Sacramento Bee, Millennial Magazine and Government Executive.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.