Chairman Issa Charges Sec Sebelius with Criminal Obstruction of HealthCare.gov Investigation

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) accused Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of criminal obstruction of his investigation into the launch of HealthCare.gov.

The dispute centers around a letter the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent to a contractor that worked on the online health insurance marketplace, directing it not to turn over correspondence and other documents to congressional investigators and stating CMS would manage any congressional inquiries. That letter amounted to “criminal obstruction” of a congressional investigation, according to Chairman Issa. “Obstructing a congressional investigation is a crime,” he said. “The federal obstruction laws reflect the fact that Congress’ right of access to information is constitutionally based and critical to the integrity and effectiveness of our oversight and investigative activities.” HHS Spokeswoman Joanne Peters responded that the department is attempting to comply with Chairman Issa’s investigation while ensuring it doesn’t reveal any private consumer information or technology secrets.