NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco told a U.S. House oversight subcommittee early this month that, on the advice of the U.S. Commerce Department inspector general, she was awaiting the results of a document-shredding investigation before deciding whether to "take steps" against Dale Jones, her embattled director of law enforcement.
Such advice was uncommon, according to Lisa Allen, chief of staff for Inspector General Todd Zinser.
Allen told the Times Monday it was the general policy of the IG's office not to advise on personnel matters.
"We don't advise them to wait or not to wait; that's their call," Allen said.
But she did not respond to questions about why the advice was given in the Jones matter when typically it is not.
The issue resurfaced Monday, when Lubchenco told U.S. Sen. John Kerry, Congressmen John Tierney and Barney Frank and several fishermen and other industry leaders at a Boston meeting that she had been advised by Zinser to hold off on removing Jones — or Gloucester-based agents Andrew Cohen and Charles Julian, as sought by Tierney — before the IG's investigation is complete.
Zinser yesterday referred questions about his advice to Lubchenco to the audio of the House oversight hearing of March 2, which was Webcast and archived.
At the hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, Lubchenco was asked by Chairwoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, a delegate from Guam, whether it was appropriate to put Jones on "administrative leave or temporarily replace him."
Lubchenco answered that she'd sought direction from Zinser, whose staff had conducted a six-month investigation of NOAA law enforcement and produced a scathing report of numerous excesses and failings but only recently had come to learn of the document shredding, via a tip and an anonymous call.
"He (Zinser) thought it would be appropriate to do the investigation first and then take steps," Lubchenco told the subcommittee, with Zinser sitting near to her.
Zinser told the panel that he expected the investigation to take about a month. He said yesterday that the investigation was on track — which would mean a final report in roughly 10 days.
Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.