Chaffetz Responds to Nomination of Beth Cobert as OPM Director

WASHINGTON—Today, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) released the following statement after The Washington Post reported that President Obama will nominate Acting Director Beth Cobert as Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

“In my initial meetings with Beth Cobert, she has impressed me as a talented, qualified, and competent choice for OPM Director. I am hopeful that she can lead and fix this agency. I am pleased the president has opted for a credible selection this time rather than a political one. It is of huge concern however, that despite suffering a massive data breach and not working in good faith with the OPM OIG, CIO Donna Seymour remains in her position. I strongly urge Ms. Cobert to immediately remove Ms. Seymour and replace her with a qualified CIO who will protect the critical information housed at OPM.”

Background:

Since the OPM data breach first came to light, Chairman Chaffetz has expressed the need for Ms. Seymour’s removal. On June 26, along with 17 members of Congress, Chairman Chaffetz made a public call for Ms. Seymour’s removal. The Chairman reiterated his call in an August 6 statement and in a September 14 statement expressing his frustration with OPM’s unwillingness to heed warnings from the Inspector General. Additionally, on September 23, OPM announced that fingerprints of an additional 4.5 million individuals were stolen as a result of the July 9, 2015 data breach.

You can read Chairman Chaffetz’s op-ed from The Hill titled, “The Breach We Could Have Avoided”, here.