The Government Accounting
Office last year started a Congressional inquiry into the Red Cross’ federally
mandated role responding to disasters and whether the group gets enough oversight.
American Red Cross CEO
Gail McGovern wanted no such investigation so she asked Rep. Bennie Thompson,
D-Miss. the ranking member of
the homeland security committee to kill it. McGovern suggested that, in lieu of
the investigation, the congressman call her directly with questions. She
provided her personal cell phone number.
Thompson criticized McGovern’s request
to spike the investigation.“Over time, the public has come to accept the
American Red Cross as a key player in the nation’s system for disaster relief,”
he said. “It is unfortunate that in light of numerous allegations of
mismanagement, the American Red Cross would shun accountability, transparency
and simple oversight."
One veteran observer
of congressional investigations said he couldn’t remember another instance in
which the subject of a GAO inquiry asked for the inquiry to be called off.
The GAO inquiry
continued despite McGovern’s appeal. The agency’s final report is expected to
be released next month, according to a GAO spokesman.
McGovern’s effort echoes other instances in
which the Red Cross has resisted requests for more information about its work.
Last year, the Red Cross fought a ProPublica public records request about its Superstorm Sandy response by hiring a law firm and citing “trade secrets.”
(The group later reversed its stance.)
The Red Cross has also declined to detail its spending in response to the Haiti
earthquake. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, recently questioned the Red Cross
for including rules barring the release of financial information in its Haiti
contracts.
American Red Cross’ CEO McGovern has long
portrayed her organization as a beacon of openness, once declaring “we made a
commitment that we want to lead the effort in transparency.” (propublica)
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