Inspectors general, a good-government 'experiment,' celebrate 40 years of oversight

Federal News Network: When President Jimmy Carter signed the Inspector General Act on Oct. 12, 1978, he saw the legislation as an olive branch to an American public that was still reeling from the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

“For him, Watergate was not simply the break-in and the cover-up. It was the abuse of power, the misuse of the IRS and the CIA against domestic enemies,” Stu Eizenstat, the president’s former chief White House domestic policy adviser, said Friday at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta.

“For him, trust and confidence in government was essential to maintain public support for positive government programs,” he added.

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