I felt bad for Waxman today. (see the Minority Report below): Shays was shameful
today (more shameful than last week when Condi was a a Waxman meeting)--as was Issia and McHenry. Waxman was very angry toward then as all shays did was defend the Inspect Gen and diss Waxman!!
Waxman: State IG's Brother Sits on Blackwater's Advisory Board
By Spencer Ackerman - November 14, 2007, 10:37AM
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004700.php At the beginning of today's House oversight committee hearing on State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) dropped a bombshell: Krongard's brother, former CIA Executive Director A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard, sits on Blackwater's advisory board. Blackwater, of course, is a State Department contractor.
Calling Krongard's case one of seemingly "reckless incompetence," Waxman reminded the hearing that one of the charges against Krongard is that he squelched an investigation into a State contractor -- since named as Blackwater -- smuggling weapons into Iraq. According to Waxman, Howard Krongard concealed his brother's association with Blackwater from "his own deputy." ...............
"Glory Days"
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1622Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Assessing the State Department Inspector General
Chairman Waxman's Opening Statement
Table of Contents
Overview
Chairman Waxman's Opening Statement
This year our Committee has given a special focus to two areas: finding waste, fraud, and abuse and examining how to make government effective again.
Today’s hearing on the performance of Howard Krongard, the State Department’s Inspector General, bridges both of those fundamental issues.
The origins of this hearing begin with the Committee’s oversight of the State Department’s actions in Iraq. As we examined the construction of the new Baghdad Embassy, the oversight of Blackwater, and corruption in the Iraqi government, seven current and former officials in the Inspector General’s office expressed concerns about Mr. Krongard’s own oversight of the State Department. These officials — and others who spoke with the Committee during our investigation — raised fundamental questions about Mr. Krongard’s judgment, actions, and effectiveness.
They described their serious concern about his inadequate oversight of the construction of the Baghdad Embassy, his failure to assist a Justice Department investigation of Blackwater for arms smuggling, his refusal to pursue charges of procurement fraud implicating DynCorp, his intervention in the investigation of Kenneth Tomlinson, and his lack of independence in auditing the State Department’s financial statements. The Committee was told that due to Mr. Krongard’s abusive management style, the Office of the Inspector General is “bleeding people right and left.”
What these officials told the Committee is summarized in a staff report I am releasing today, and without objection it will be made part of the record. MORE>...
.........
Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject The repubs must really be scared about what Waxman is onto here..
Topic URL
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2279391#2279502 2279502, The repubs must really be scared about what Waxman is onto here..
Posted by Virginia Dare on Wed Nov-14-07 10:07 AM
they released their own report ahead of time, basically saying while the guy is an asshole, he did nothing wrong...:eyes: These repubs are so transparent, when they come out spinning, you know you've got them by the short ones.
A report produced by the Republican staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee concludes that while State Department Inspector General Howard J. Krongard has "an extraordinarily abusive management style," charges that Krongard thwarted investigations into Iraq and was motivated by political bias cannot be supported by the evidence collected.
The 117-page report by the minority staff, prepared for a hearing today into Krongard's leadership of the IG's office, is an unusually tough broadside against the tactics of Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.). The report contends that Waxman jumped the gun by accusing Krongard in a Sept. 18 letter of a long list of failings before, Republicans charged, the committee had conducted a thorough investigation.
The report asserts that, other than Krongard's poor management skills, 10 of the 11 charges raised in the Waxman letter turned out to be wrong, misplaced or overstated.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111302121.html ..................
Forum Name Latest Breaking News
Topic subject Krongard Recuses Himself from Blackwater Investigations (Brother Is On Blackwater Board)
Topic URL
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3065925#3065925 3065925, Krongard Recuses Himself from Blackwater Investigations (Brother Is On Blackwater Board)
Posted by Hissyspit on Wed Nov-14-07 12:17 PM
Source: TPM Muckraker
Krongard Recuses Himself from Blackwater Investigations
By Spencer Ackerman - November 14, 2007, 12:48PM
Howard "Cookie" Krongard said he's just learned that his brother is on Blackwater's advisory board and has formally recused himself from investigating the company.
Rep. Patrick Lynch (D-MA) asked when Krongard learned his brother, A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard was on Blackwater's board. Krongard said that he just learned about his brother's position, and had a single phone conversation with him in early October -- "about five, six weeks ago" -- in which Buzzy told Cookie that he didn't have "a significant financial interest" in Blackwater. Blackwater has multi-million contracts with the State Department.
Company spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell told me the advisory board was formed in the summer. I'm still trying to learn the exact date Buzzy joined up, but that would be before Buzzy's phone conversation with his brother. Cookie Krongard told Rep. Lynch that his brother didn't mention taking a position on the advisory board, although Buzzy "may have said" that Blackwater approached him about one. "I am not my brother's keeper," Cookie Krongard said.
Update: (Beginning of hearing), he said that his brother had told him that he wasn't on Blackwater's advisory board.
Read more:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004706.php ...............
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