NOAA has a perfect right to investigate the NHC to see if its Director's comments have eroded the public trust and the ability of it staff to conduct their job.
What Downdraft said is true, since the Director may have (in strictly Federal employee terms), violated the
Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (since his position, known in Government as an SES position, falls under that category), however, that is not to imply that he did anything for his own gain, since it does not appear that way in any sense, but, it seemed to be his trying to work things in a way that is above the authority given to him in his role, that is the issue.
Also, it's very possible that there might be other internal administrative conflicts that the public or media are not aware of, but, that is for him and his staff (and his superiors) to discuss among themselves...
Media folks who might be reading this, might make note of the above - any administrative problems are for the NHC Director and his staff, and his superiors, to work out, among themselves - there is nothing improper, in a legal sense, when it concerns Federal employees trying to iron out their own internal administrative problems, without them having to respond to a constant flow of media
Freedom of Information Act requests for internal documents.
In my opinion, continued media requests of this kind only makes the NHC, and, in the end, the Nation it serves, look foolish to those who live beyond our borders - there is no need for that to happen under the guise of "the media's right to know"...
Ah - now I feel better...