US State Department official questioned by Waxman about his connections to Blackwater quits

[NNN0LHI]

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hjeWzFJWYfzh7iQ-egr-PhAtGGaw

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A senior US State Department official quizzed over family links to a private security firm accused of killing civilians in Iraq has announced he is stepping down, the department said on Friday.

Howard Krongard, an inspector general in the State Department involved in overseeing some of its private contractors, announced he would retire on January 15, in a letter to President George W. Bush released by the department.

He had been accused by the chairman of a congressional committee monitoring US involvement in Iraq of blocking investigations into contracting fraud and arms smuggling there. snip

Henry Waxman, the chairman of the committee whose work includes monitoring private contractors operating in Iraq, last month reported conflicting testimonies by the brothers about Alvin Krongard's links to the firm.

Howard Krongard testified that his brother had told him he was not on the board of Blackwater USA and had no connections to the firm. But Alvin Krongard later told committee staff that he did tell his brother about his links to it.

[malaise]

1. He should be charged with lying to Congress

Notice how quickly he changed his tune after lunch that day.