Posted by D. Cupples | At a recent House Oversight Committee hearing State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard (accused of impeding a probe into illegal arms smuggling by Blackwater) initially said that despite "ugly rumors," his brother Alvin ("Buzzy") is not involved with Blackwater.
Krongard said that he'd asked Buzzy six weeks earlier and that Buzzy had denied involvement. Naturally, Oversight Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) directly asked Buzzy for details. Buzzy's story doesn't gel with the Instpector General's.
Congressman Waxman sent a memo to fellow committee members that says, in part:
“Inspector General Howard Krongard called assertions that Buzzy Krongard has a connection to Blackwater "ugly rumors." He testified that "about six weeks ago," he "specifically asked" Buzzy Krongard about his ties to Blackwater and was told that he had no connections and was not on the Blackwater advisory board.
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"Later in the hearing, after having been shown documents that appeared to establish Buzzy Krongard's membership on the Blackwater board, Howard Krongard testified that he called his brother during a break in the hearing and was told that for the first time thatBuzzy Krongard is, in fact, a member of the board and 'had been at the advisory board meeting yesterday.'
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"On November 15, I sent a letter to Buzzy Krongard requesting an interview and documents relating to his communications with Howard Krongard about Blackwater. After receiving the letter, Buzry Krongard called Committee staff and provided information that differed si gnifi cantly from Howard Krongard' s testimony.
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"Buzzy Krongard stated that Howard Krongard called him specifically to ask about any relationship he had with Blackwater 'in preparation for his testimony' to the CommiLlee. Buzzy Krongard stated: 'He asked me whether I had any financial interest or any ties to Blackwater, and so I told him "I'm going on their Board."' According to Buzzy Krongard, 'He responded by saying, "Why would you do that?" and "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Buzzy Krongard then said, 'I told him that was my decision, not his, and that we just differed on that.'"
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"Buzzy Krongard stated that during the Committee hearing, he was at home watching it live. He listened to Howard Krongard's prepared opening statement. Then, he heard Howard Krongard offer spontaneously the comment that his brother had no connection to Blackwater. Buzzy Krongard said: 'You could have blown me over….'"
Naturally, Congressman Waxman wonders about the truthfulness of Howard Krongard's entire testimony during the Nov. 14th hearing and wants to hold another hearing on that issue in December.
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Related BN-Politics Posts:
* Govt. Contractors: Driving up War's Costs?
* State Dept. Official's Brother Tied to Blackwater; Republicans Oppose Probe
* Inspector General Blocked Investigations re: Waste and Fraud?
* There's Something About Blackwater
* Have U.S. Officials Protected Blackwater?
* DynCorp Joins Blackwater as Probe Target
* Blackwater Took Iraqi Airplanes, CEO Misled Congress?
* Blackwater Hearing: Poor Media Coverage
* State Dept.'s Odd & Untimely Reactions to Blackwater Scandals
* State Dept. Staff Threatened for Cooperating with Congress re: Blackwater
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