Report Says State Department Lacks Proper Files For More Than $6 Billion In Contracts

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

Updated: April 5, 2014 - 4:30 PM

WASHINGTON — A government investigation has found that the State Department has incomplete files or is missing files for more than $6 billion in contracts over the last six years.

In one case involving State Department operations in Iraq, officials couldn't provide 33 of the 115 contract files requested. Those missing files were for contracts worth $2.1 billion.

A State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf, says that the $6 billion hasn't gone missing and calls it a "bureaucratic issue" that's being addressed.

The report by the State Department's Office of Inspector General recommends establishing a centralized system for maintaining, tracking and retaining files. Other recommendations include random checks of contract files and holding accountable those responsible for maintaining files.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/254048531.html

[2banon]

1. Gee, they waited all this time to report this problem?

What about during Bush/Cheney administration?

[karynnj]

2. Interesting that this is over 6 years

Do you want to bet articles will speak of Secretaries Kerry and Clinton - ignoring that 6 years ago goes back to 2008 - and the Secretary was Rice?

[eppur_se_muova]

17. State Dept. had no Inspector General for five years.

Of course BushCheney would never let anyone in that position do his job, and Repubs have blocked attempts by Obama to appoint a successor. Congresscritters are paid to give unrestricted access to the cookie jar to KRB, Halliburton, Blackwater etc.

[2banon]

18. Yes, that's very significant, s/b the story..

I'm no apologist for any administration.. I want accountability and I don't want to see our tax dollars going to private contractors for all sorts of nefarious purposes such as we've witnessed over the past decades, most notably during the Bush/Cheney regime.

All these elements however were left out of this story, words fail me in describing the media's outrageous duplicity in all manner of revisionism, omissions, misleading points of fact. Just outrageous.

[Fumesucker]

3. A billion here, a billion there

And pretty soon you're talking a bureaucratic error.

[2banon]

5. betcha it's tied in with USAID and NED - so called "democracy projects" ..

seems about right...

[2banon]

4. So the report was generated from the State Dept?

I know it says Office of Inspector General, I'm a bit confused which Gov't office this came from, and wonder if the it's tied with the Congressional Budget Office, isn't that the "agency" that should be generating these reports? Or perhaps this is an internal office over seeing State Dept. In either case, what the hell took so long? Talking billions of dollars if not more from Bush/Cheney, do we have those reports from the same office?

[karynnj]

8. The job was just filled this November - after being vacant for 6 years

The Washington Post has a more detailed article and notes that the State Department has accepted the recommendations the IG made. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/state-department-inspector-general-issues-alert-over-6-billion-in-contracting-money/2014/04/03/8ebf465c-bb73-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html

Not surprisingly, the Washington Times has the headline as "$6 billion lost under Hillary Clinton"

[2banon]

11. Does that office require Senate confirmation, I wonder?

[karynnj]

12. Yes and thanks for the question -- His background sounds very good for this

His - from the OIG's State Department page are Kerry's statement after he was confirmed:

"
I recently had the pleasure of swearing in Steve A. Linick as our new Inspector General, following his confirmation by the United States Senate.

As you know, The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducts and supervises audits, inspections, evaluations, reviews and investigations of the programs and operations of the Department of State and the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

I wanted to share with you a bit about Steve’s background. He begins his work with deep experience both as an Inspector General and as a federal prosecutor. For the past three years, he served as the Inspector General of the Federal Housing Financial Agency, a newly-created OIG specifically focused on the 2008 financial and housing crises and their after-effects. Before that, he spent 16 years in the Department of Justice, including four years leading the National Procurement Fraud Task Force and as an Assistant United States Attorney first in Los Angeles and then in Alexandria, Virginia.

I also want to take this opportunity to again reiterate my and the Department’s support for the mission, oversight work, and independence of the OIG, as set forth in the Inspector General Act of 1978 and section 209 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980. The OIG performs an important role in recommending policies to promote the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of, as well as in preventing and detecting fraud and abuse in, our programs and operations.

As employees of the Department of State, we all share a responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest standards of conduct and integrity. We also share an obligation to report to the OIG known or suspected waste, fraud, abuse, false certifications, and corruption involving Department programs or operations (including by contractors and grantees). The OIG hotline number is 800-409-9926.

I know all of us will provide requested assistance and information to the OIG in accordance with the applicable regulations, including prompt access to all records and other materials which relate to programs and operations with respect to which the OIG has responsibilities, subject of course to applicable rules regarding the handling of classified information. In addition, I know all Department employees will cooperate fully by disclosing complete and accurate information pertaining to matters under OIG investigation and review and by honoring OIG requests for interviews in a timely manner.

I am confident that Steve and his OIG team will continue to be of great assistance to the Department and that you will strongly support their oversight efforts which benefit us all."

http://oig.state.gov/aboutoig/offices/cpa/press/218123.htm

[karynnj]

13. Kerry's words when confirming him are interesting

Near the beginning, there was a thank you to the man who had been the acting IG for a long time. While it is better to have someone confirmed and in the position, it does mean that someone was - at least to some degree doing the job.

He then goes through the new IG's background and argues why he is an excellent choice.

Near the end - in what is obviously a message to State Department employees - he says.

"What that tells me is that he takes the role of IG seriously. He knows how to make tough
decisions, and he doesn’t shy away from getting his hands dirty in the process of working hard to
produce results. And that’s the kind of person that we need in this role.

After spending 28 years in the United States Senate—where I led investigative oversight
committee efforts for everything from money-laundering in Latin America that exposed Manual
Noriega and his engagement in narcotics rings, to the illicit dealings of the BCCI Bank, where
we first uncovered the name of Osama Bin Laden and other criminal networks—it is something
that I understand, this whole effort of working toward transparency of things like foreign aid,
climate change policies, and other things. And I appreciate how difficult implementing oversight
can be. It’s less daunting when you have cooperation from the parties.

And I want to be clear to the Department when I say today: Steve, you will always have my
cooperation and the cooperation of my team. The Office of Inspector General is not, in my
judgment, a thorn in the side of the Department. And there were some who felt that we could do
fine without an Inspector General; there are many people who fear the appointment of an
inspector general. I don’t. I welcome it. I believe it is a very important part of our efforts. In
fact, I view the presence of a good inspector general not as a thorn in our side, but as the ace up
our sleeve. This will help us be a better Department. It will help us be able to deliver better for
the American people, and one of the things I’ve asked Steve in joining in this effort is, we’ll be
there to cooperate. We want the accountability, we want the transparency, we want to work
cooperatively. We don’t want to add to the great game of “gotcha” in Washington. We want to
do what makes governing effective, and Steve will have a willing partner in that effort.'
http://oig.state.gov/documents/organization/219065.pdf

[2banon]

14. That's quite an impressive resume..

thanks for providing that background introduction.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. That's on top of the 8 billion the Bush administration admitted disappeared in Iraq. nt

[Mnemosyne]

7. And also the 2.3T Rumsfiend reported "missing" from the Pentagon. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Corporate welfare. No money for vets or children. nt

[Mnemosyne]

19. Absolutely vile, isn't it? nt

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

16. About 25 years ago

The General Accounting Office tried to audit the Pentagon. After three years, they gave up, saying that it was impossible.

[Mnemosyne]

20. How very convenient for the Pentagon. If my employee cannot properly account for my money,

wouldn't that be criminal? Even just that level of incompetence deserves some heads rolling, but the perps were probably promoted or retired to the MIC board rooms.

[FreedRadical]

9. That's what I was thinking.

This number down from ten years ago, and still falling.

[jtuck004]

15. That's a lot of cookies.n/t