Tester Demands Investigation into Reported Federal Government Slush Fund

Senator Holds ATF Accountable After Apparent Abuse of Taxpayer Dollars

(Bozeman, Mont.)—U.S. Senator Jon Tester is demanding an investigation into a federal government agency’s reported use of a secret, multi-million dollar slush fund.

Tester wants the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) held accountable to taxpayers after reports surfaced that the agency purposefully ran a multi-million dollar secret slush fund in order to skirt congressional and executive oversight.

In a letter to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Tester is calling for an investigation into ATF and federal bureaucrats’ abuse of taxpayer dollars.

“This secret multi-million dollar ATF slush fund appears to be a gross abuse of taxpayer dollars,” Tester wrote. “The American people expect their public servants to be responsible stewards of public resources. These allegations raise serious questions about the oversight capability of one of our top law enforcement entities, and I believe enough information exists to warrant an investigation.”

The secret slush fund was reportedly set up in late 2006 during an ATF investigation into cigarette smuggling. Despite discovering the secret slush fund in 2013, the Justice Department has yet to take action, and no ATF bureaucrats have been punished or fired.

According to reports, ATF bureaucrats used the secret slush fund to purchase outlandish items and luxury travel—including vehicles, personal expenses, and a suite at a NASCAR event.

In his letter to Inspector General Horowitz, Tester emphasized that this case falls directly within the Justice Department’s jurisdiction to investigate federal government waste and abuse.

Tester is also demanding accountability from the U.S. Postal Service this week after reports that 2 billion pieces of mail were purposefully delayed from delivery. Tester is calling on the Postmaster General to fire managers who knowingly misreported mail delivery times.

Tester’s letter to Inspector General Horowitz is available HERE.