Inspector General
Eric J. Soskin
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As Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mr. Soskin oversees OIG's independent and objective reviews of the efficiency and effectiveness of DOT's programs and operations, as well as efforts to detect and prevent fraud, waste, abuse, and violations of law. To carry out this mission, Mr. Soskin leads auditors, law enforcement officers, lawyers, and other personnel across the nation in conducting oversight, investigating wrongdoing, and delivering reports to the Department, Congress, and the American public. Since December 2021, he has also served as the co-chair of the Infrastructure Working Group of the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE).
Mr. Soskin was sworn in as the 7th Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation on January 11, 2021. A lifelong public servant, Mr. Soskin previously served for 14 years as a trial attorney in the Federal Programs Branch and other offices at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). As a litigator, he represented dozens of federal agencies and his practice spanned 36 states over the course of 3 presidential administrations. His areas of specialization included national security, constitutional law, and administrative law, and he earned the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2019. Prior to joining DOJ, Mr. Soskin began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Paul S. Diamond, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Soskin is a native of South Bend, Indiana, where he grew up not far from the famed Lincoln Highway before moving to Indianapolis in his later youth. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Political Economy from Williams College, and worked as a management consultant and a rowing coach in the early part of his career. He later attended Harvard Law School, where he helped lead two law journals—the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology and the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Mr. Soskin is a history aficionado, particularly transportation history, and he enjoys traveling by air, commuting by electric vehicle, and running errands by bicycle. He lives in Fairfax County, Virginia, with his wife and two sons.