3-18.100
United States Attorneys' Offices Surveys
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All surveys, questionnaires, requests for information, or visits from
one or more United States Attorneys' Offices (USAOs) by Department of
Justice offices, boards, divisions, field offices, bureaus, or United States
Attorneys; or by other persons or organizations outside the Department,
including the private sector; other U.S. Government offices; Members of
Congress or Committees; or the General Accounting Office (GAO) should be
submitted to the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) for
coordination to conserve the resources and time of USAOs personnel, to
prevent unnecessary duplication of research and survey efforts, and to
ensure that alternate sources of data are utilized when available.
Congressional requests shall continue to be submitted by Congress to the
Office of Legislative Affairs, who shall then submit the request directly to
EOUSA. All surveys, questionnaires, and requests for information should be
submitted to the Counsel to the Director, EOUSA, for coordination and
assistance.
The request for a survey should consist of a list of proposed USAOs to
participate, a proposed questionnaire or survey form, detailing the specific
information sought and briefly summarizing the background and the
litigative, legislative or other purpose for which the information is
sought. Whenever possible, questionnaire forms shall be provided for replies
by United States Attorneys. Requests for site visits should include: the
sites to be visited, the desired dates for the visits, the overall scope and
objectives of the audit, the persons or types of persons sought to be
interviewed, and the documents or types of documents sought to be
reviewed.
The requesting unit and the EOUSA shall cooperate to make any necessary
modifications in proposed surveys prior to dissemination and shall request
the participation of United States Attorneys. The EOUSA shall request
United States Attorneys participation and coordinate the scheduling of
visits. The requesting units shall fully inform the Director, EOUSA, of the
results of surveys and provide copies of all written reports and other
derivative products.
[updated March 2013]
[cited in
USAM 1-8.040]
3-18.110
General Accounting Office—Authority for Audits
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The General Accounting Office (GAO) is part of the legislative branch
of the government. It has statutory authority to examine departmental
activities and we are obliged to cooperate with that agency. However,
certain information may be restricted under law (e.g. grand jury material)
or because of the significant risks involved with disclosure. In addition
the functions of the Department serve important public interests and should
not be interrupted unduly. As a result, we must balance our obligation to
honor GAO authority to conduct reviews with our duty to maintain necessary
confidences and to conduct effectively our public business.
3-18.120
Procedures Regarding GAO Contacts
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Before responding to a GAO request, a USAO should immediately consult
with the Counsel to the Director, EOUSA.
[cited in
USAM 1-8.040; 3-1.200]
Note. Former USAM 3-18.200 et seq. has been updated and moved to
USAM Chapter 1-13.000
("Urgent Reports").
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