U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)-the Chairman and ranking Republican member of the Senate Subcommittee on Financial & Contracting Oversight-today released the following joint statement after Charles K. Edwards, the Homeland Security Department’s Deputy Inspector General who is under investigation by the senators’ subcommittee, stepped down from his post:

“Inspectors general are supposed to serve as the eyes and ears of taxpayers within our agencies, guarding against waste, fraud, and abuse of power, and we expect them to abide by the same high standards of behavior they apply to agency officials. We hope that Mr. Edwards’ departure will pave the way for a new level of accountability and transparency within the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, and we plan to continue rigorous oversight to achieve that goal.”

Edwards was scheduled to face questioning later this week from the oversight panel over allegations of misconduct. That hearing has been canceled following Edwards’ reassignment.