Senate Democrats plan to press White House lawyer Brian Miller today about his ability to act independently of President Trump if he is confirmed as a new inspector general, setting up one of Congress’s first clashes about the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Washington Post reported. Miller, who is currently senior associate counsel of the Office of White House Counsel, played a role in defending Trump during the recent impeachment inquiry. Trump has nominated him to serve as Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. This would place him in charge of overseeing a roughly $500 billion Treasury fund created as part of Congress’s $2 trillion CARES Act in late March. In a four paragraph opening statement to the Senate Banking Committee released yesterday, Miller promised to carry out his duties “with fairness and impartiality” and be independent and fair. After approving nearly $3 trillion to rescue the economy from the coronavirus pandemic, Congress has moved very slowly in formally scrutinizing how the money has been spent. The Trump administration has already said it is backstopping more than $500 billion in newly issued business loans. It has also begun issuing more than $200 billion in “economic impact” payments to households. There has been very little disclosure about how these programs are performing or whether any mistakes are being corrected. Lawmakers haven’t conducted any oversight hearings yet, largely because lawmakers have steered clear of the Capitol during the pandemic.
