Janet Rehnquist
Encyclopedia
Janet Rehnquist is a former inspector general of the United States Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS), a prominent Republican, and the daughter of former Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
.
appointment (and resignation under fire) of Janet Rehnquist
(daughter of conservative U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, William Rehnquist
) to the post of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by incoming President George W. Bush
.
CBS News obtained documents showing that, Governor Jeb Bush
's chief of staff Kathleen Shanahan left Janet Rehnquist an urgent message and asked her to put off an audit into an alleged $571 million dollar overpayment to the State of Florida
discovered in 2002. Rehnquist quickly ordered a two-week delay of the audit. Two weeks stretched into five months, after Rehnquist ordered her audit team to "proceed with (an) audit in North Carolina first, then do Florida." This put the audit well after Jeb Bush's election. It is alleged that Rehnquist then tried to halt an investigation by congress.
When congress began an investigation it to the matter, Rehnquist resigned in March 2003 as Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) amid controversy, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family, after Congress
investigated her. Rehnquist's job was to investigate fraud, waste and abuse at HHS, including Medicare
fraud.
United States Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
(HHS), a prominent Republican, and the daughter of former Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
William Rehnquist
William Rehnquist
William Hubbs Rehnquist was an American lawyer, jurist, and political figure who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and later as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States...
.
Resignation and controversy
While the IG Act of 1978 requires that IGs be selected based upon their qualifications and not political affiliation, Presidentially appointed IGs are considered political appointees and are often selected, if only in part and in addition to their qualifications, because of their political relationships and party affiliation. An example of the role political affiliation plays in the selection of an IG, and the resulting pitfalls, can be seen in the 2001 RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
appointment (and resignation under fire) of Janet Rehnquist
Janet Rehnquist
Janet Rehnquist , is a former inspector general of the United States Department of Health and Human Services , a prominent Republican, and the daughter of former Chief Justice William Rehnquist.-Resignation and controversy:...
(daughter of conservative U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, William Rehnquist
William Rehnquist
William Hubbs Rehnquist was an American lawyer, jurist, and political figure who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and later as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States...
) to the post of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by incoming President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
CBS News obtained documents showing that, Governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
's chief of staff Kathleen Shanahan left Janet Rehnquist an urgent message and asked her to put off an audit into an alleged $571 million dollar overpayment to the State of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
discovered in 2002. Rehnquist quickly ordered a two-week delay of the audit. Two weeks stretched into five months, after Rehnquist ordered her audit team to "proceed with (an) audit in North Carolina first, then do Florida." This put the audit well after Jeb Bush's election. It is alleged that Rehnquist then tried to halt an investigation by congress.
When congress began an investigation it to the matter, Rehnquist resigned in March 2003 as Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services
United States Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
(HHS) amid controversy, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family, after Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
investigated her. Rehnquist's job was to investigate fraud, waste and abuse at HHS, including Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
fraud.