| Agency Name: | United States Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency |
| Seal: | File:Seal_of_the_Central_Intelligence_Agency.svg |
| Jurisdiction: | United States |
| Headquarters: | George Bush Center for Intelligence, Langley, Fairfax County, Virginia |
| Region Code: | US |
| Chief1 Name: | Robin Ashton |
| Chief1 Position: | Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency |
| Parent Agency: | Central Intelligence Agency |
The Office of Inspector General (often abbreviated to OIG) of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the independent overseer of the organisation. Since 2021, the office has been held by Robin Ashton. The first inspector general was appointed in 1952.[1]
The Rockefeller Commission, Church Committee, and Pike Committee all recommended strengthening the office of OIG. Their criticisms included claims that the IG had few staff, was ignored, and was denied access to information. Their suggestions were not made into law.[1]
The CIA OIG investigation of the Iran Contra scandal was criticized in the final report of the Congressional investigation of the Iran-Contra affair.[2] Members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (especially Boren, Cohen, Specter, and Glenn) wrestled with how to improve the IG while not interfering with the work of the CIA. They tried to make a bill that would satisfy various members of Congress and also not be vetoed by president George Bush.[1] Senator Boren (chairman of the SSCI) worked with Robert Gates who was deputy to Brent Scowcroft at the time. In 1989 a new IG law was passed creating a more independent IG. The IG also would no longer be chosen by the Director of Central Intelligence but would instead be appointed by the President with the "advice and consent" of the Senate.[1]
There were several controversies surrounding the IG during the years of the Global War on Terror.
The IG released a controversial report on failures of the intelligence community before 9/11.[3]
IG staff Mary O. McCarthy was fired in 2006.[3]
In 2007 General Michael Hayden, head of the CIA, had attorney Robert Deitz review the work of the IG.[3]
In 2004 the CIA OIG published a report on prisoner treatment in the Global War on Terror. It was entitled "CIA Inspector General Special Review: Counterterrorism Detention and Interrogation Activities".[4] After a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union, a less redacted version was declassified in 2009 and released to the public.
| Name | Term start | Term end | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald F. Chamberlain | July 1973 | July 1976 | ||
| John H. Waller | July 1976 | January 1980 | [5] | |
| Charles A. Briggs | January 1980 | September 1982 | ||
| James H. Taylor | September 1982 | July 1984 | ||
| John H. Stein | July 1984 | December 23, 1985 | ||
| Carroll L. Hauver | December 23, 1985 | January 18, 1988 | ||
| William F. Donnelly | January 18, 1988 | December 1, 1989 | [6] | |
| William F. Donnelly (Acting) | December 1, 1989 | November 13, 1990 | ||
| Frederick P. Hitz | November 13, 1990 | May 1, 1998 | ||
| Dawn Ellison (Acting) | May 1, 1998 | August 3, 1998 | ||
| L. Britt Snider | August 3, 1998 | January 20, 2001 | [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] | |
| Rebecca Donegan (Acting) | January 21, 2001 | November 14, 2001 | ||
| Rebecca Donegan (Deputy Inspector General) | November 14, 2001 | January 14, 2002 | ||
| George Clark (Acting Deputy Inspector General) | January 14, 2002 | April 26, 2002 | ||
| John L. Helgerson | April 26, 2002 | March 21, 2009 | [20] | |
| Patricia Lewis (Acting) | March 21, 2009 | October 6, 2010 | [21] | |
| David Buckley | October 6, 2010 | January 31, 2015 | [22] | |
| Christopher Sharpley (Acting) | February 1, 2015 | September 9, 2017 | ||
| Cristine Ruppert (Acting Deputy Inspector General) | September 9, 2017 | June 28, 2021 | [23] | |
| Robin Ashton | June 28, 2021 | Incumbent | [24] |