More from the article...
... The report recommended "appropriate action, up to and including dismissal."
The Council of the Inspectors General On Integrity and Efficiency, known as the Integrity Committee, wrote the report
A redacted version was released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.
The report stated, "After thoroughly reviewing the evidence and carefully considering the subject responses, the IC finds by a preponderance of the evidence that IG Cuffari engaged in conduct undermining the independence or integrity reasonably expected of his position."
The IC report alleges that Cuffari abused his authority and "engaged in substantial misconduct in the form of a gross waste of funds" when he spent $$1.393 million of taxpayer funds to hire a private law firm to investigate three former senior members of his staff.
The IC found that was most likely done for his "personal" interest and to retaliate against them. One of the staffers got a $1.17 million settlement paid with additional taxpayer funds, according to the IC report.
The IC alleges that Cuffari provided inaccurate and misleading answers to questions regarding possible misconduct in his federal employment history as a sworn law enforcement officer, and as an IG, misrepresented his reasons for hiring a private law firm to investigate three former DHS OIG senior executives and his influence over that investigation.
In a partially redacted paragraph, the IC report said Cuffari personally attempted to influence that independent investigation. ...
[emphasis mine]