Posted on 09/28/2007 7:55:49 PM PDT by balch3
A U.S. congressional oversight committee accused the State Department's inspector general on Friday of threatening to fire several of his staff if they cooperated with an investigation into his conduct.
In a letter to Inspector General Howard Krongard, Rep. Henry Waxman accused Krongard for the second time in 10 days of interfering with a probe by the House of Representatives oversight committee the California Democrat chairs.
The panel is looking into whether Krongard, who acts as an independent internal investigator for the State Department, failed to examine claims of government waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq and elsewhere so as not to embarrass the Bush administration.
"You interfered in ongoing investigations in order to protect the State Department and the White House from political embarrassment," said Waxman in his letter. "The committee will not tolerate any intimidation of potential witnesses."
State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the inspector general would respond directly to the committee.
"The inspector general has said that he intends to address them very directly and forthrightly with the committee. And I think we should give him that opportunity before we try drawing any conclusions here," said Casey.
Naming two former senior officials and two current State Department employees as well as other unidentified staff, Waxman said senior staff from Krongard's office used coercive tactics to keep information from the committee.
"This week, several current employees in your office, including two who have agreed to go on the record -- informed the committee that your senior staff attempted to coerce them not to cooperate with the committee's inquiry and threatened their jobs and careers," wrote Waxman. Continued...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
The Socialist mind set
Waxman may be on a fishing expedition, but Christmas at Krongard’s may not be too fun
Krongard- He just sue is son and daughter-inlaw for a loan they hadn’t paid him back at the time for? They did pay back the loan, but he still sued for the attorney’s fees.
The Waxjob sticking his NOSE in again?
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