Fasten Your Seatbelts
by digby
Matt Ortega, posting at FDL writes:
From NBC Investigative Reporter Lisa Myers’ report on MSNBC, entitled “Did Iraq contractor fleece American taxpayers?” The answer is, well, I’ll let you figure it out. (Also, appended at the bottom of her report is a statement from Parsons CEO Jim McNulty.)
WASHINGTON – New revelations have emerged about how tens of millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted in Iraq. A new report by government watchdogs singles out a big American contractor — Parsons — for shoddy work. Investigators charge that Parsons managed to turn a flagship project to help train Iraqi police into a hall of horrors using taxpayer money.
The Baghdad Police Academy was supposed to be a showcase to train Iraqi police — key to the U.S. strategy.
Yeah, and how did that work out?
Instead, Wednesday’s report says the American construction company turned it into a disaster from the start: incomplete and substandard designs, shoddy construction and no real quality control.
“This is the worst project that my inspectors have visited,” says Stuart Bowen, inspector general for Iraq.
Chairman Waxman Invites Witnesses for Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Hearing
Rep. Waxman has requested the testimony of three key witnesses regarding Iraq reconstruction efforts at an Oversight Committee hearing on waste, fraud, and abuse, to be held the week of February 6th.
L. Paul Bremer, former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, has been requested to testify regarding reconstruction activities during his tenure at the CPA, as well as an audit report from January 2005 that concluded that more than $8.8 billion in cash under CPA’s control was disbursed without adequate financial controls or accountability.
Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, has been requested to testify regarding the audits and field inspections conducted by his office related to reconstruction activities in Iraq.
Timothy Carney, Coordinator for Iraqi Transitional Assistance, has been requested to testify regarding the newly created position of Coordinator, his role in assisting the Iraqi government with reconstruction efforts, and his prior service in Iraq.
Between this and Monsignor Tim Russert on the stand (hopefully) February 6th promises to be a very exciting day.
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