Sen. Charles E. Grassley and Rep. Barry Loudermilk are accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of repeatedly obstructing inspector general investigations into the department.

In a letter sent to Mr. Mayorkas on Tuesday, the GOP lawmakers cited allegations that the Department of Homeland Security leadership has consistently impeded independent investigations conducted by the department’s Office of Inspector General by delaying and denying information requests.

Mr. Grassley, Iowa Republican and ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Mr. Loudermilk, Georgia Republican and chairman of the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee, said every DHS OIG semiannual report to Congress since September 2021 — early in President Biden’s term and Mr. Mayorkas’ tenure — have documented such access issues. The semiannual reports from October 2016 through March 2021, mostly covering the Trump administration, “generally did not report access issues,” they said.

---

---

The lawmakers also accused DHS of placing improper redactions on recent inspector general reports, including one about the Secret Service’s preparation for and response to the Jan. 6, 2021, protests over the 2020 election results. DHS has also delayed access to records in that investigation, suggesting the inspector general may not have a right to certain records but declining to provide the legal basis for withholding them.

“The Department’s alleged conduct creates a chilling effect when the DHS OIG should instead serve as a place where employees can report fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement within the agency,” they wrote. “In light of the Biden-Harris administration’s conduct, does the DHS OIG’s office need to consider themselves whistleblowers to share required information with Congress?”

Mr. Grassley and Mr. Loudermilk also sent a separate letter to DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari seeking more details on the access issues.

Since some of the delays in providing information to the inspector general came from the Secret Service, which falls under DHS, Mr. Grassley and Mr. Loudermilk said they “are concerned that the Biden-Harris administration’s actions against the DHS OIG will extend to the ongoing reviews relating to the assassination attempt against former President Trump.”

The Republicans requested DHS detail the steps it is taking to provide the inspector general with information for that investigation — as well as other ongoing reviews — and ensure that the eventual OIG report is provided to Congress in unredacted form. They also asked for written justifications for the redactions in the report on the events of Jan. 6.