Biden personnel head under fire after questionable hires

Senate leaders have placed mounted pressure on the head of the federal government's Office of Personnel Management after two senior hires were discovered to have a substantial history of sexual misconduct while serving in previous posts.

On Wednesday, Senators Krysten Sinema, an Arizona Democrat, and James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, sent a letter to OPM Director Kiran Ahuja, calling the senior staff hires 'particularly problematic.'

The pair demanded details of Ahuja's agency's vetting practice for new employees.

The two employees in question are Frederick Tombar III and Douglas Glenn, both of whom previously left positions amid or following investigations into harassing behavior at their respective places of work.

Douglas Glenn was forced out of OPM early this year after a Pentagon investigation determined he had behaved in sexually and racially offensive manners during his tenure as the department's acting comptroller

Frederick Tombar resigned from his role as executive director of the Louisiana Housing Corporation amid a probe that concluded he harassed two subordinates

Glenn was forced out of his position as the chief financial officer of OPM days after a Pentagon investigation determined he had behaved in sexually and racially offensive manners during his tenure as the Defense Department's acting comptroller. 

Glenn denied the findings of the investigation.

In 2015, Tombar resigned from his role as executive director of the Louisiana Housing Corporation amid a probe that concluded he harassed two subordinates.

Tombar denied the allegations, though Louisiana officials ultimately paid nearly $90,000 to one of his accusers who sued the state. 

According, the Washington Post, he remains on the job at OPM, where he serves as a senior leader in the retirement services division.

'Given the Subcommittee’s longstanding commitment to ensuring the Federal Government is free from racial or sexual insensitivity, sexual harassment, or any other form of inexcusable behavior, we have a responsibility to ask appropriate questions regarding whether OPM is failing to serve as a role model on matters of employee vetting and workplace safety,' wrote the senators.

The senators also noted that the appointments of Glenn and Tombar are especially troubling given the role OPM plays in establishing personnel standards for the rest of the federal government. 

The letter demands to know when the department was made aware of the misconduct allegations in both cases. Ahuja's staff have been directed to appear in person before the senators to brief lawmakers on the details of how Glenn and Tombar were hired.  

Kiran Ahuja serves as the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Arizona Senator Krysten Sinema, who along with Oklahoma Senator James Lankford sent a letter to OPM Director Kiran Ahuja, calling the senior staff hires 'particularly problematic'

The senators noted that the appointments of Glenn and Tombar are especially troubling given the role OPM plays in establishing personnel standards for the rest of the federal government

Ahuja has additionally been called next week to appear before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, where she will likely face an onslaught of questions from lawmakers about the department's questionable hires as part of a wide-ranging hearing on federal workforce issues. 

OPM has so far declined to publicly comment on the circumstances surrounding the hiring of each official. Though it confirmed to the Post that it had launched an internal review of its hiring practices. 

OPM is responsible for managing the 2.1million-person civil service of the federal government, including coordinating recruiting and hiring, as well as managing the administration of benefits to 2.7million retired federal employees.