Michael Horowitz Replaces Mark Bialek As Fed & CFPB Inspector General

Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department’s inspector general since 2012, will become the Federal Reserve and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new watchdog effective June 30, 2025. He replaces Mark Bialek, who retired after 14 years.

Horowitz is known for his investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Russia probe, which earned praise from President Trump. He was one of the few inspectors general who were not removed during the White House’s mass firings earlier this year. Horowitz leads a workforce of over 500 special agents, auditors, inspectors, attorneys, and support staff responsible for detecting and deterring waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in the Department of Justice (DOJ) programmes. From 2015 to 2020, he chaired the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

Horowitz worked as a partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP from 2002 to 2012, focusing on white-collar defence, internal investigations, and compliance. Before that, he served in the DOJ from 1991 to 2002, including roles as Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York and Deputy Assistant Attorney General. He began his career as a law clerk and associate at Debevoise & Plimpton.