Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem denied allegations Wednesday that she is blocking a series of inspector general investigations of her department, claiming instead that the inspector general has not followed the proper protocol.

Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari claimed to lawmakers in a letter Monday that DHS leadership has “systematically obstructed” his work in 11 investigations, including in a criminal investigation.

Noem denied the allegation during an appearance in front of the House Judiciary Committee, claiming Cuffari did not provide a "scoping memo" when seeking documents related to his probes and instead wanted “unfettered access to every single thing in the department.”

“The IG has been told repeatedly in writing, verbally, on the phone, that he can have access to anything at the Department of Homeland Security," Noem insisted. "He doesn’t need my permission to come and brief members of Congress on the Hill. He just needs to provide a scoping memo, which is what every single IG gets from every single department and agency — all intelligence agencies require a scoping memo.

“He just hasn’t done that," she continued. "He wants unfettered access to every single thing in the department. And that’s not the process, and that’s not [something] any other IG has demanded.” 

The department told The Hill Wednesday that it requires scoping memos in investigations when the inspector general is seeking access to classified databases, but they are generally required for audits and evaluations and not normal probes.

Cuffari said Monday that the obstruction is particularly affecting his criminal investigation and that he cannot comply with the request for the memo because doing so would “risk compromising the investigation and … any potential prosecution.”