Pentagon agency in charge of spending oversight in Iraq left Iraq in 2004

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politic...

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The chief Pentagon agency in charge of investigating and reporting fraud and waste in Defense Department spending in Iraq quietly pulled out of the war zone a year ago - leaving what experts say are gaps in the oversight of how more than $140 billion is being spent.

The Defense Department's inspector general sent auditors into Iraq when the war started more than two years ago to ensure that taxpayers were getting their money's worth for everything from bullets to meals-ready-to-eat.

The auditors were withdrawn in the fall of 2004 because other agencies were watching spending, too. But experts say those other agencies don't have the expertise, access and broad mandate that the inspector general has - and don't make their reports public.

That means that the bulk of money being spent in Iraq doesn't get public scrutiny, leaving the door open for possible waste, fraud and abuse, experts say.

[FloridaPat]

1. * has constantly refused to tell congress where the money is going

in this invasion. It's all a big secret. Always has been. I'm guessing Afghanistan is like that too. Why then bother paying people to not look for fraud. Just can the jobs. Just think how much money that saved!

[peacetalksforall]

2. Just remember, the money disappeared under Dov Zakheim. He

was Controller for the DOD leading up to and during the peak of the war. He left to go back to his company which among other things, makes remote control of aircraft. He never found the money. I'm not saying he took it. Zakheim - friend and/or member of the PNAC set. Rumsfeld brought him on.

[texpatriot2004]

3. Did they take $9 billion with them? nm

[lovuian]

4. Wait till we really see how much money has been stolen!!!

and its coming!!!