Progressive Minds

Dick Cheney's son-in-law, Phil Perry, has apparently been riding shotgun over at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Perry, who is married to Cheney's daughter Elizabeth, served as the Chief Counsel at DHS.  And according to testimony from the General Accouting Office (GAO) Comptroller General and the DHS Inspector General, Perry has stood in the way of investigations of his agency.

From the Think Progress website:

The Department of Homeland Security refuses to cooperate on oversight activities, according to testimony offered today by GAO Comptroller General David Walker and Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner. The investigators highlighted the role of Philip Perry — Chief Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security and Vice President Cheney’s son-in-law — as the major stumbling block in their investigations.

Walker said the DHS strategy in dealing with investigations is to “delay, delay, delay.” CongressDaily reports:

“[Homeland Security] has been one of our persistent access challenges,” GAO Comptroller General David Walker told the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. Walker said the problem is “systemic” and not the fault of any single individual. But he complained that GAO has had to go through the office of Chief Counsel Philip Perry. Perry is married to Elizabeth Cheney, a former State Department official who is one of the vice president’s two daughters. Walker said it is his understanding that Perry’s office has to review documents GAO seeks before they are released and that Perry selectively sits in on interviews with department employees.

Cheney’s Son-In-Law Blamed for Delaying Investigations of Homeland Security Department