Lawmakers: Dismiss Broadcasting OfficialBy BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Reporter
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
(08-30) 14:34 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
Three congressional Democrats asked President Bush on Wednesday to dismiss
the head of the agency that oversees government broadcasts, who is accused
of misusing government money, overbilling for his time and hiring a friend
as a consultant.
A summary of a report by the State Department's inspector general released
Tuesday said Kenneth Tomlinson misused government funds for two years
as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the
Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other U.S. government broadcasting
abroad.
Reps. Howard Berman and Tom Lantos, California Democrats, and Sen. Christopher
Dodd, D-Conn., said in a statement they were outraged by what has emerged
from the investigation that they requested last year.
They said in a letter to Bush the results of the investigation left no doubt
that Tomlinson violated public trust and Bush's own ethical standards.
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