Posted: Fri, Feb 3, 2006, 7:07 AM ET (1207 GMT)
A watchdog agency is investigating allegations that NASA's inspector general has not properly investigated safety violations and claims of retribution against space agency employees. The Washington Post reported on its front page Friday that the Integrity Committee of the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency has started an investigation of Robert Cobb, who has been NASA's inspector general since 2002. Complaints about Cobb started last year, according to the Post, from employees who thought that he terminated or suppressed investigations into safety violations in agency programs. Former IG employees also claimed that Cobb was "abusive" and appeared to have too close of a relationship with then-administrator Sean O'Keefe. Cobb declined to comment on the investigation other than to urge employees to cooperate with the review, which will be led by the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Related Links:

•  Washington Post article
•  AP article
•  Reuters article
•  NASA Office of Inspector General memo (via SpaceRef)