Cookie Recuses Himself From Baghdad Embassy InquiryThat’s one fewer corruption case Howard “Cookie” Krongard will investigate. The embattled State IG says he’ll step aside from the Baghdad Embassy construction scandal.
In addition to removing himself from all queries related to Blackwater, Inspector General Howard Krongard has given up his role in looking into corruption allegations involving the construction of the new U.S. embassy in Baghdad, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
The move came at the request of a congressional oversight committee chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., which Krongard testified before a day earlier. During the hearing he learned, apparently for the first time, that his brother is a member of Blackwater’s advisory board.
“That was at the request of Congressman Waxman’s committee because they are doing their own inquiries into the new embassy compound,” McCormack said. “Because of the reporting relationship between the IG and the Congress, of course, Howard honored that request.”
How does State feel about Krongard remaining on the job? Here’s AP’s dry wit:
Despite the fact that he has now recused himself from the State Department’s two main internal investigations in Iraq and has come under heavy pressure to resign, Krongard has not offered to step down and is, for the moment, continuing as the inspector general, McCormack told reporters. He did not, however, offer Krongard a ringing endorsement.
“He is still doing his work as inspector general,” McCormack said. “Obviously, if there weren’t support for his doing his job as inspector general, then he wouldn’t be doing that job.”
Update: There’s quite an irony here. As Paul reported, Krongard stopped his staff from investigating corruption in the embassy construction contract — preferring to personally collect a blanket denial from the contractor after speaking to hand-picked employees and closing the file. Maybe now the IG’s office can actually get some work done here.
