Seven of former President Barack Obama’s political appointees moved into career-service government jobs, a practice known as “burrowing in,” without obtaining the proper approval from the Office of Personnel Management, The Washington Times reported Wednesday.
During a six-year period, 78 of Obama’s political appointees “burrowed” into career government jobs, per the same Government Accountability Office report. Of the seven who didn’t obtain the proper authorization, four were later denied their positions by OPM and three left their jobs.
Congressional Republicans in November warned the departing administration against “burrowing in” more appointees after government auditors found that 17 Obama political appointees didn’t receive the proper authorization from OPM.
Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota told The Washington Times he requested the GAO report to, “make sure executive branch employees knew they were being watched for improper burrowing.”
“Still, GAO determined that one out of every five attempts to move a political appointee into a career position was rejected as improper,” Thune said. “Watchdogs need to stay vigilant, and I intend to seek more information about the individuals who may have led improper hiring initiatives.”
The OPM approved 78 of 99 requests to convert political appointees between January 2010 and March 2016.
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