The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced yesterday that it began an investigation of its New Orleans office last week, relating to equal employment opportunity complaints. The news came after Rep. Anh Cao (R-LA) raised questions about cronyism and other misconduct at the office. (Associated Press)
For the second time since the Inauguration, the Obama administration finds itself defending Bush’s use of state secrets claims. The Justice Department is seeking to delay hearings in a lawsuit involving warrantless wiretaps of a now-defunct Saudi Islamic charity operating in Oregon. The Bush administration had previously warned that the judge in the trial would not be able to protect against the release of sensitive information if the trial were allowed to proceed. The case is the first and only to challenge warrantless wiretapping. (Associated Press)
A report published by the Department of Energy’s Inspector General Monday found that 15 government facilities licensed to hold nuclear materials did not have as much in their inventories as had been originally recorded. The report points to accounting errors, and lax record-keeping regarding nuclear material loaned to other institutions such as universities and commercial research facilities. Among the materials listed as missing were enriched uranium and plutonium. The report was a follow-up on a 2001 probe that found similar problems with record keeping. (NTI.org)
A state auditor’s report found that executives at a small commercial airport in Kentucky ran up a large tab that the public ended up paying for. Kentucky Auditor Crit Luallen found that, according to the airport’s former executive director, the culture of misuse included employees being reimbursed twice for the same expenses and using airport credit cards as personal checkbooks. Among the indulgences were tickets to a Hannah Montana concert, Nintendo Wii video games, and a $4,400 check written to a strip club. Fraudulent expenses totaled more than $500,000 over three years. (Associated Press)
Dennis Blair, the top U.S. intelligence official, told a House panel yesterday that the detention center at Guantanamo Bay is hurting America’s image and hindering the country’s ability to achieve foreign policy goals. Said Blair: “Countries won’t deal with us… We don’t have blue chips to trade,” as long as the facility is open. Attorney General Eric Holder, who just returned from reviewing the facility, agreed that it must be closed though he described it as being well-run and professional. (Associated Press)
U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent, who pleaded guilty Monday to an obstruction of justice charge in a case relating to his alleged sexual harassment of former employees, may not be done paying legal bills just yet. The House Judiciary Committee is investigating the possibility of impeaching Kent in order to stop the former judge from receiving his federal pension. Part of Kent’s plea deal, to avoid being tried for five counts related to sexual harassment, was to retire immediately from the bench. But if Kent is able to claim a disability, he will be allowed to receive his full salary as pension. Kent faces possible jail time related to the obstruction of justice conviction. (Associated Press)
