Michael E. Horowitz was sworn in as the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 16, 2012, following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate.  Mr. Horowitz was previously confirmed by the Senate in 2003 to serve a six-year term as a Commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

As Inspector General, Mr. Horowitz oversees a nationwide workforce of more than 500 special agents, auditors, inspectors, attorneys, and support staff whose mission is to detect and deter waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in DOJ programs and personnel, and to promote economy and efficiency in Department operations.  Since April 2020, he has simultaneously led the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, a Committee of 22 federal Inspectors General that Congress created to oversee the over $5 trillion in federal pandemic-related emergency spending.  From 2015 to 2020, Mr. Horowitz served as the Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), an organization comprised of all 75 federal Inspectors General.

Horowitz briefed National Press Foundation fellows in March 2024: ‘The Truth Still Matters’: Justice Department Inspector General Highlights Non-Partisan Work. He also briefed NPF fellows in March 2025: DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz on the Role after Trump’s Mass Firings.