New book seeks to train Hill oversight watchdogs

A Washington-based good government group has also become a book publisher in its quest to train a new generation of congressional oversight investigators.

One of the constitutionally-mandated jobs of Congress is to provide oversight over the Cabinet-level agencies and other organizations within the Executive Branch.

But aside from a law degree, or a passionate interest in politics and the working of government, how does one learn to be an investigator for a government oversight committee?

For the past three years, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), has been holding monthly training sessions entitled "The Congressional Oversight Training Series" (COTS), a free lunchtime skill-building seminar designed to educate Hill staffers about their rights, responsibilities and powers working in the realm of Congressional oversight.

Ingrid Drake is an investigator at POGO, and Director of COTS:

What we're trying to do is expose them to some of the very seasoned oversight staffers on the Hill, or who may have recently left the Hill, as well as to journalists, as to how to make oversight investigations really hard-hitting, and really meaningful, and help resolve the problems that they've identified. The seminars are strictly non-partisan. We always talk about how important it is to reach across the aisle as part of a successful investigation. We talk about how important it is to involve the media in various stages of the investigation, and not just at the end.

Drake says that the most frequently asked question about the COTS seminars is whether or not there is a resource that has all the good guidance from the COTS seminars. Until now, that has not been the case, but recently POGO has published "The Art of Congressional Oversight: A Users Guide to Doing it Right".

The 83-page, spiral bound volume contains insights into how to be a successful congressional committee investigator.

The new POGO book is chock-full of anecdotes and stories from veteran oversight investigators who Drake says were eager to share their wisdom about the very hard, but very important work, of government oversight.

In one case, an attorney for a company under investigation tried to intimidate a then-young investigator, Franklin Sibley, formerly a Democratic House and Senate oversight Staff Director, saying "I find you very laughable". Sibley shot back, "three months from now, I want to see how funny you think I am." He went on to say, "three months later, he wasn't that amused".

Another former congressional staffer who participates in POGO's COTS workshops is Mark Paoletta, today a partner with the law firm Dickstein Shapiro, and the former chief counsel and Republican staffer for Oversight and Investigations with the House Energy & Commerce Committee.

In an interview, Paoletto told Federal News Radio it's important that good Hill investigators "be aggressive, and get their facts straight." The lead investigator in such landmark congressional probes as the Ford/Firestone tire recall, ENRON, Global Crossing, Health South, Quest and ImClone, Paoletto says simply "when I would find waste, fraud and abuse, it would really bug me."

Another former congressional investigator who helps out with the COTS sessions is Dean Zerbe, who, along with being a National Managing Director with the Alliant Group, is also special counsel to the National Whistleblowers Center. He's also a former investigative counsel to Senator Chuck Grassley (R.-Iowa), one of the most noted lawmakers in the field of oversight. He told Federal News Radio that Grassley "really impressed upon us how he viewed congressional oversight as the vital role for Congress."

POGO is sending a copy to every congressman and senator on Capitol Hill, and is also providing copies to Hill staffers who attend the seminars, or who write in requesting a copy.

POGO is also making "The Art of Congressional Oversight" available for purchase by interested members of the public from its website.

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On the Web:

POGO - Congressional Oversight Training Series

POGO - POGO Provides Oversight Handbook To Congress And Hill Staff To Encourage Increased Oversight (press release)

POGO - The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing it Right

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