In the era of fraudulent hope and change, inspectors general inside the federal government have been kicked, neutered and starved of the authority and information they need to do their jobs. It's transparently clear: President Obama loathes and fears independent watchdogs.

Accountability is an empty talking point without whistle-blower protection and investigative autonomy. That is why Capitol Hill must do everything in its power to stop the White House war on the public's ombudsmen. Federal inspectors general across dozens of agencies are begging lawmakers to grant them access to public records as guaranteed by the 1978 Inspector General Act.

Last year, 47 of the nation's 73 federal IGs signed an open letter decrying the Obama administration's stonewalling of their investigations. The White House, they reported, had placed “serious limitations on access to records that have recently impeded the work” of IGs at the Peace Corps, the EPA and the Department of Justice, and jeopardized their “ability to conduct our work thoroughly, independently and in a timely manner.”

At the rotten core of the war on federal watchdogs: Obama's undermining Justice Department, which has distorted and destroyed the plain meaning of “all records.”

Earlier this year in congressional testimony, DOJ IG Michael Horowitz exposed the Obama administration's “continued refusal by the Department to recognize that Section 6(a) of the Inspector General Act authorizes the DOJ OIG to obtain access to all records in the Department's possession that we need in order to perform our oversight responsibilities” as the office investigates the IRS witch hunts, the Fast and Furious scandal and systemic public disclosure evasions.

In July, the White House arrogantly announced that IGs needed to obtain permission from the heads of agencies they were investigating to gain access to grand jury, wiretap and fair-credit information. Horowitz noted that “(p)ending legislation in the Senate, S. 579, and the House, H.R. 2395, would restore IG independence and empower IGs to conduct the kind of rigorous, independent and thorough oversight that taxpayers expect.”

Let me remind you that this is the same administration that:

• Smeared and sacked AmeriCorps inspector general Gerald Walpin after he blew the whistle on financial corruption and sexual misconduct by Obama crony and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

• Stonewalled the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program responsible for monitoring hundreds of billions of dollars of federal funds spent on bailout programs. Obama Treasury Department officials initially refused to provide documents on the bailout-funded AIG bonus program and ran to the DOJ for cover.

Recently, the Veterans Administration IG reported horrific neglect and mismanagement in the Phoenix VA system, where a whopping 45 percent of vets with bladder, prostate and urinary tract problems were denied or delayed care over the last two years. At least five patients died as a result of the VA's dereliction of duty to those who served and sacrificed.

Empowering IGs to uncover mismanagement in the public sector without fear of reprisal and roadblocks is quite literally a matter of life and death.

Michelle Malkin is author of “Who Built That: Awe-Inspiring Stories of American Tinkerpreneurs.”

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