Posted by D. Cupples | The U.S. State Department has major problems. McClatchy reported:
"A mortar shell smashed into the hulking new U.S. Embassy that's under construction in Baghdad last May, damaging a wall and causing minor injuries.... It also exposed enormous problems in the management of what's become a $592 million government construction project.
"The State Department contractor in charge of the project, James L. Golden, attempted to alter the scene of the blast, according to government officials familiar with the incident. The State Department inspector general prevented Department officials from investigating the incident, according to interviews and documents....
"U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker banished Golden from Iraq, but he continues to oversee the construction of the embassy in Baghdad... and to supervise other projects for the State Department."
Based on State Department staff information, the House Oversight Committee accused State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard of blocking multiple investigations into contractor waste and fraud, among other things....
According to an Oversight Committee letter and press release from September, Krongard had:
* Refused to send investigators to Iraq and Afghanistan re: waste and fraud
* Stopped investigators from helping the Justice Department
* Used "irregular" procedures to exonerate a contractor
* Interfered in the investigation into a friend of Karl Rove
* Refused to publish negative audits re: State Department finances
* Censored reports to Congress.
Last month, the Washington Post quoted the following email exchange between state Department Deputy Inspector General William Todd and State Department investigator John DeDona about waste and fraud re: the U.S. Embassy project in Iraq:
[Todd wrote]: "I know you are very frustrated. John, you need to convey to the troops the truth, the IG told us both Tuesday to stand down on this and not assist, that needs to be the message."
[DeDona replied]: "Unfortunately, under the current regime, the view within INV [the office of investigations] is to keep working the BS cases within the beltway, and let us not rock the boat with more significant investigations."
Coincidences abound. In 2005, former Defense Department Inspector General Joseph Schmitz was accused of impeding investigations; he resigned. Last year, congressional Republicans tried to eliminate the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, after it uncovered contract-related violations (NY Times).
Some U.S. officials seem more interested in protecting contractors than us taxpayers.
Related BN-Politics' Posts:
* Embassy in Iraq: Waste, Bad Planning, and Contractor Fraud?
* State Dept.'s Odd & Untimely Reactions to Blackwater Scandals
* State Dept. Staff Threatened for Cooperating with Congress re: Blackwater
* Inspector General Blocked Investigations re: Waste and Fraud?
* Have U.S. Officials Protected Blackwater?
* Justice Dept. Official Turned Blind Eye to Contractor Fraud?
* Interior Dept. Officials Allowed Oil Companies to Underpay Royalties
* New Orleans Still Suffering after 2 Years and Billions of Tax Dollars
* Time for Pentagon to Get Serious About Contractor Fraud
* Contractor UNISYS in Trouble Again
* Billions
over Baghdad: Poor Accounting Allowed Waste & Fraud
* Defense
Dept. Rewarding Bad Contractor Performance?
* How
the Defense Dept. Flushes Dollars Down Latrine
* Gov.
Contractors: Driving up War's Costs
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