DHS: Shirlington Contract Looks Fine To UsThe Department of Homeland Security came up with some answers to Congressional questions about its contract with Shirlington Limousine Company, the checkered-past outfit that’s alleged to have played a key role moving lawmakers and prostitutes around on behalf of Brent Wilkes and his poker parties. Everything’s fine, they say. Nothing to see here. Move along.
A quick grain of salt: the response was written by Elaine Duke, the DHS Chief Procurement Officer, which runs the agency’s contracting operations. She was deputy CPO when the office gave Shirlington the contract. So her answers can be fairly expected to tilt towards vindication. An inspector general’s investigation, it ain’t.
In a nutshell, Duke explains that the contract was awarded fairly, under competition, Shirlington was properly vetted and everything was above-board.
Of course, we know otherwise: if one peels back the paper, there’s copious evidence that Shirlington didn’t deserve its HUBZone designation. Yet that illegitimate stamp made him the sole “qualified” bidder for the contract. But as Duke argues, if the paperwork’s in order that doesn’t matter much.
Read Duke’s letter here.
