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Sean W. O'Donnell is the Inspector General of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...
. He was previously appointed to be the acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense in April 2020, resulting in his membership on the
Pandemic Response Accountability Committee The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) is an independent oversight committee within the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 20 ...
, which oversees $2.2 trillion in government spending.


Early life and education

O’Donnell graduated from Bothell High School in Bothell, Washington, then earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Texas A&M University and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Washington. He also attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a master's degree in economics and a degree in law.


Career

After graduating from law school, O’Donnell clerked for Judge Harry Lee Hudspeth of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin, Texas, and for Judge Raymond Gruender of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St. Louis, Missouri. He also spent time in private practice, working on intellectual property and antitrust litigation, among other matters. Prior to becoming the Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency, O’Donnell spent 15 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as prosecutor in the Bank Integrity Unit of the Criminal Division's Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section. Over his career at the Justice Department, he handled a wide range of criminal and civil matters, such as civil rights, commercial and governmental fraud, corruption, and national security matters. O’Donnell was nominated to be the EPA Inspector General on October 15, 2019, and confirmed unanimously by the Senate on December 19, 2019. Sworn in shortly thereafter, O’Donnell is responsible for promoting economy and efficiency at the EPA and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, as well as detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse related to the programs and operations of those two agencies. To this end, O’Donnell oversees a nationwide workforce of approximately 300 attorneys, auditors, special agents, and support personnel who support the Office's mission by providing evidence-based reports to the agencies, the public, and to Congress. On April 6, 2020, O’Donnell was appointed the acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense in addition to serving as the EPA Inspector General. During O’Donnell’s nearly three year tenure, which ended at the end of 2022, his office recovered nearly $3.5 billion in civil and criminal cases and issued 331 reports, identifying over $1.25 billion in potential benefit to the DoD. His office’s notable work included a review of the DoD’s role in preparing for and responding to the protest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, an evaluation of the U.S. Space Command basing decision, and an evaluation of the DoD’s screening of displaced Afghans. O’Donnell also served as the Lead Inspector General for Oversight Contingency Operations, leading inter-office oversight of
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...
,
Operation Inherent Resolve {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Operation Inherent Resolve , partof = the international military intervention against the Islamic State and the War on terror , image = , caption = U.S. Navy B ...
, and, most recently, the U.S. government’s assistance to Ukraine. On January 24, 2025, he was fired by President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
along with several other inspectors general, although the legality of the firings remains under question.https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/25/donald-trump-inspectors-general-firing-00200611


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, Sean Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Texas A&M University alumni University of Washington alumni University of Texas at Austin alumni United States Department of Justice lawyers Maryland lawyers People of the United States Environmental Protection Agency United States inspectors general by name United States Department of Defense officials First Trump administration personnel Biden administration personnel Inspectors General (IGs) dismissed by Donald Trump