Washington, D.C. — American Accountability Foundation (AAF) sent a letter to Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray yesterday (Attached) voicing concern over a recent FSA hire.
In late April, FSA announced the hiring of Christopher Madaio to lead investigations for the FSA Office of Enforcement. Madaio formerly served as the Vice President for Legal Affairs at Veterans Education Success (VES), a far-left education group currently mired in controversy following an explosive report from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General.
The report found that VES refused to cooperate with a Veterans Affairs Inspector General inquiry into unethical behavior. Madaio’s role with the group put him directly at the center of the controversy and raises numerous questions about his qualifications to assume a new position with enforcement responsibilities.
American Accountability Foundation Founder Tom Jones explained:
“The hiring of Christopher Madaio by the Office of Federal Student Aid is extremely troubling. The IG report makes clear that the lack of cooperation by VES – whose legal team was helmed by Madaio – harmed the Inspector General’s investigation and its ability to uncover the complete truth about what happened. It appears that FSA COO Richard Cordray did not consider the details of the Inspector General’s case when he decided to hire such a controversial individual.
“I urge Cordray to reconsider the hiring of Christopher Madaio. His senior role in the Office of Enforcement could harm ongoing investigations and do reputational harm to the department.”
The American Accountability Foundation is a non-profit government oversight and research organization that uses investigative tools to educate the public on issues related to personnel, policy, and spending. AAF deploys aggressive research and investigations to advance conservative messaging, rapid response, and Congressional investigations, while heavily scrutinizing politicians and establishment organizations, policies, and projects.