Comer, Davis, Hice: Election Assistance Commission Inspector General Departure Long Overdue

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.), Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), and Government Operations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jody Hice (R-Ga.) released the following statement regarding the “retirement” of U.S. Election Assistance Commission Inspector General Patricia Layfield:

“Inspector General Layfield’s departure is long overdue. Since October, she ignored multiple calls to investigate a highly questionable multi-million-dollar contract awarded to a pro-Biden firm to contact voters on a purely partisan basis. Earlier this year, Inspector General Layfield again had the opportunity to right this wrong before Governor Newsom and the California legislature all but ensured American taxpayers had to foot the bill for this contract, but she refused to act. 

“The American people deserve better than to have their hard-earned taxpayer dollars funding partisan activities, and they deserve far better than an inspector general who refuses to do her job and ignores these abuses. The next inspector general must root out waste, fraud, and abuse and work to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent in accordance with federal law.”

Since October, Comer, Davis, and Hice repeatedly called on Inspector General Layfield to investigate the highly questionable and likely unlawful $35 million contract then-California Secretary of State Alexander Padilla awarded to SKD Knickerbocker—a consulting firm openly working on behalf of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. After Inspector General Layfield continued to take no action, the Republican lawmakers called for Layfield’s resignation if she was “no longer interested in carrying out [her] duties.”