The federal banking agency’s inspector general will scrutinize “leadership climate at the FDIC with regard to all forms of harassment and inappropriate behavior,” a spokeswoman said. The internal watchdog will also review the effectiveness of the FDIC’s sexual harassment prevention program, which will entail examining what measures the agency has taken following an IG report from 2020 that determined the program was deficient.
Separate from the IG investigation, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) demanded in a letter late last month that FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg resign and that anyone guilty of wrongdoing be subject to “serious consequences, including termination and criminal prosecution when warranted.”
“Angry and disgusted aren’t strong enough terms to describe my reaction,” Ernst wrote in reference to alleged harassment and discrimination at the FDIC.
The FDIC did not respond to a request for comment from the Journal ahead of the publication’s deadline.