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State Dept. abuses alleged

The inspector general is accused of blocking inquiries into fraud in Iraq and elsewhere.

By Washington Post
Published September 19, 2007

WASHINGTON - Howard Krongard, the State Department's inspector general, has repeatedly thwarted investigations and censored reports that might prove politically embarrassing to the Bush administration, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform charged Tuesday.

A letter signed by committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and released by the committee Tuesday, said the allegations were based on the testimony of seven current and former officials on Krongard's staff, including two former senior officials who allowed their names to be used, and private e-mail exchanges obtained by the committee. The letter said the allegations were not limited to a single unit or project, but concerned all three major divisions of Krongard's office: investigations, audits and inspections.

Waxman demanded documents and testimony for a hearing next month into Krongard's conduct.

Krongard, who has been in Afghanistan and is en route to Iraq, issued a statement Tuesday saying, "The allegations, as described to me and in certain media reports, are replete with inaccuracies including those made by persons with their own agendas."

He said he has tried to assist other government agencies, while taking care to avoid overlap, and added, "I look forward to cooperating with the committee and receiving the opportunity to respond in full to these allegations."

The inspectors general of government departments and agencies are intended to be independent and objective investigators of fraud and waste.

The letter charged that Krongard "interfered with ongoing investigations to protect the State Department and the White House from political embarrassment." It said that "your strong affinity with State Department leadership and your partisan political ties have led you to halt investigations, censor reports and refuse to cooperate with law enforcement agencies."

Among the e-mails obtained by the committee are exchanges between staff members as they discuss Krongard's decision not to cooperate with a Justice Department investigation into waste and fraud in the construction of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. "Wow, as we all (k)now that is not the normal and proper procedure," an investigator wrote to Assistant Inspector General John DeDona. DeDona forwarded the e-mail to Deputy Inspector General William Todd, saying, "I have always viewed myself as a loyal soldier but hopefully you sense my frustration in my voicemail yesterday."

Todd replied: "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 responded: "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."

DeDona eventually quit.

Ralph McNamara, the former deputy assistant inspector general for investigations, said Tuesday that he came forward with the allegations against his former boss because he was concerned that State Department employees would be at risk when working in the new embassy.

He said investigators wanted to look into charges that the walls were not built to the required thickness or concrete consistency, but they were blocked from pursuing them.

McNamara was forced out.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Fast facts

The accusations against Inspector General Howard Krongard

A letter signed by House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., accuses Howard Krongard, the State Department's inspector general, of:

-Refusing to send investigators to Iraq and Afghanistan to investigate $3-billion worth of State Department contracts.

-Preventing his investigators from cooperating with a Justice Department investigation into waste and fraud in the construction of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.

-Using "highly irregular" procedures to personally exonerate the embassy's prime contractor of labor abuses.

-Impeding an investigation into a firm being suspected of smuggling weapons into Iraq illegally.

-Interfering in the investigation of a close friend of former White House adviser Karl Rove.

-Censoring reports on embassies to prevent full disclosure to Congress.

-Refusing to publish critical audits of the State Department's financial statements.

-Interfering in an investigation into Voice of America head Kenneth Tomlinson, by providing him information about the inquiry.

-Fueling a "dysfunctional office environment" that caused key investigators to leave.

Washington Post, Associated Press

[Last modified September 19, 2007, 01:24:01]