Fine assured the senator that ongoing internal investigations into the firing of U.S. attorneys and a probe of a terrorist surveillance program should satisfy Leahy’s request.

“I look forward to the Inspector General’s findings on the unprecedented firings of nine United States Attorneys, the improper political hiring of career officials within the Justice Department, the misuse of National Security Letters, and the efforts to bypass the Department’s finding that a warrantless surveillance program was without legal basis,” Leahy said.

The senator added that the internal DoJ investigations “can help restore independence and accountability, which have been sorely lacking at the Justice Department.”