(CNN) A report by a Senate committee found that a little-known security unit within the Department of Commerce abused its power and oftentimes monitored employees of color without any evidence of wrongdoing. The report was released this week by Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The ITMS abused its power and opened "frivolous investigations" on employees "without evidence suggesting wrongdoing for the purpose of exaggerating the unit's ability to uncover security threats within the civil service," according to the report published Tuesday. The unit was created during the George W. Bush administration to provide security services to the secretary of Commerce, according to the report. The unit had "poor management and weak oversight" and "deficient policies and procedures outlining the unit's investigative capabilities" that led to some of the instances of misconduct and abuses of power, according to the report.

Source: CNN July 17, 2021 18:22 UTC