Mark Greenblatt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Greenblatt in 2020 | |
| Inspector General of the Department of the Interior | |
| In office August 26, 2019 – January 24, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump Joe Biden Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Mary Kendall (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Lee Greenblatt |
| Education | Duke University (BA) Columbia University (JD) |
Mark Lee Greenblatt is an American attorney and government official who had served as theInspector General of the United States Department of the Interior. As the Department's 7th confirmed Inspector General, Mr. Greenblatt oversaw a nationwide workforce of more than 300 investigators, auditors, evaluators, attorneys, and support staff whose mission is to detect and deter waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in DOI programs, and to promote economy and efficiency in Departmental operations. Mr. Greenblatt was the senior official responsible for providing oversight of more than 70,000 Department employees, assessing the Department's diverse programs with more than $10 billion in grants and contracts, and conducting complex administrative and criminal investigations.[1]
On January 24, 2025 PresidentDonald Trump fired Mr. Greenblatt along with several other inspectors general.[2]
Greenblatt received his A.B., with distinction, fromDuke University. He received his J.D. fromColumbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.[3] Greenblatt was a Senior Managers in Government Fellow at theJohn F. Kennedy School of Government atHarvard University.[4]
He is also aCertified Fraud Examiner and graduated from the Experienced Leader Program atAmerican University sponsored by theCouncil of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.[4]
Greenblatt began his legal career by clerking for the HonorableAnita B. Brody of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.[3] Following his clerkship, he worked as a litigator at two law firms inNew York City.[3]
In 2003, he joined the staff of theUnited States Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations as an Investigative Counsel.[4] He was promoted to Deputy Chief Counsel and later became Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel.[4] During his five-year tenure at the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Greenblatt led or supervised numerous complex, bipartisan inquiries that identified waste and abuses in important programs, such as Medicare and theUnited Nations.[5] For instance, he led the Subcommittee's investigation into waste, fraud, and abuse in the United Nations'Oil-for-Food Program, a $64-billion operation involving numerous complex international transactions.[5]
In 2009, Greenblatt became an investigative counsel at theUnited States Department of Justice'sOffice of Inspector General.[5] In that role, he led several investigations into senior-level misconduct and other sensitive matters, such as allegations of conflict of interest, nepotism, and misuse of office by senior DOJ officials.[5]
In 2014, Greenblatt joined the staff of theU.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Inspector General as Director of Special Investigations.[3] He was later promoted to Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Compliance and Ethics and subsequently to Assistant Inspector General for Investigations.[3] In 2017, President Trump nominated Greenblatt to serve as Inspector General of theExport–Import Bank of the United States. Greenblatt's nomination was approved by theUnited States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and theUnited States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs,[6] but the vote was never taken up by the Senate. On January 17, 2019, Greenblatt was nominated by President Donald Trump[7] to be Inspector General of the Department of theUnited States Department of the Interior,[8] and on August 1, 2019, theSenate confirmed his nomination[9] byvoice vote.[10]
On June 9, 2021, the Office of the Inspector General issued a report titled "Review of U.S. Park Police Actions at Lafayette Park", concerning thepolice actions in Lafayette Square of June 1, 2020.[11][12] The report said, "The evidence we obtained did not support a finding that the USPP cleared the park to allow the President to survey the damage and walk to St. John's Church. Instead, the evidence we reviewed showed that the USPP cleared the park to allow the contractor to safely install the antiscale fencing in response to destruction of property and injury to officers occurring on May 30 and 31."[12][13] The report claimed that the decision to clear Lafayette Park had been made two days earlier, on May 30.[11] Also on June 9, Inspector General Greenblatt issued a statement titled "Statement from Inspector General Mark Lee Greenblatt Regarding Special Review Report 'Review of U.S. Park Police Actions at Lafayette Park'", reaffirming the Report's claims that the decision to clear of Lafayette Square was made on May 30, two days before it was carried out.[14] The Inspector General's report raised some media skepticism. For example, The Daily Beast characterized as "bizarre" the claim that the purpose of clearing Lafayette Square was to enable the construction of the fence.[15]
On January 24, 2025 PresidentDonald Trump fired Mr. Greenblatt along with several other inspectors general.[16] In response, Hannibal "Mike" Ware, the chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), pointed out the lack of legal standing of the removals, as notification to Congress 30 days in advance is required by law.[17]While President Trump had stated his intent and reasons why to fire many of the IG, back in November 2024, it appears that Congress was not notified as required.[18][19]
Greenblatt authored a book,Valor: Unsung Heroes From Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, which was published byRowman & Littlefield Publishing Group in 2014.[20]Valor was a finalist for the 2016 William E.Colby Award for military writing.[21] The book was endorsed by numerous military figures, including Gen.David Petraeus, Gen.John R. Allen, and threeMedal of Honor recipients.[22]
Following the publication ofValor, Greenblatt authored or co-authored more than a dozen articles, interviews, and book reviews, largely on the topic of military heroism, forMilitary.com,Task & Purpose,Soldier of Fortune,Real Clear Defense, and other publications.[23]
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