Democrats Want Contract Fraud Documents

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats demanded documents Thursday about a multibillion-dollar overseas contracting loophole to track down how — and why — the Bush administration slipped it into plans to protect taxpayer money.

Leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee gave the administration until April 4 to turn over the documents or, aides have said, face a possible subpoena.

The controversial loophole has irked Democrats and Republicans alike. But it has the support of a trade association that lobbies on behalf of giant global government contractors, including Blackwater USA, KBR Inc., Boeing Co., CACI International Inc. and Lockheed Martin.

The United States has spent more than $102 billion over the last five years to help rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. In that time, the Justice Department has uncovered at least $14 million in contract bribes in those two nations alone.


Read more: http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt.jsp?section=news&feed=ap&src=601&news_id=ap-d8vhdilg0&date=20080320

[salib]

1. I love your sig line

Yes, get back to work! Those corps need their stuff!

Otherwise, I think Dems in Congress and much of us (me included) are at the point (or beyond) of outrage fatigue. I think we simply need to sweep everything as clean as we can.

Unfortunately, I cannot figure out how to do it. The rugs are so tempting...

[diane in sf]

2. Maybe the best idea is block as much of Bushco's actions as possible, but let them

get out of office thinking they'll get away with everything. Then when they've lost their power to give pardons let the investigations and prosecutions begin and not stop till the entire pustule is emptied.

[pleah]

3. As fast as they have been shredding and deleting documents,

there won't be anything left by the time they are gone.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

4. Sounds like a plan...

"...let the investigations and prosecutions begin and not stop till the entire pustule is emptied.

LOL!

[ooglymoogly]

5. There will be or already have been deals made that will

protect them when they leave office.

[BlueJessamine]

6. Follow the Money

[tom_paine]

7. Well, the Democrats won't be getting to look at THOSE.

What are they going to do, impeach someone?

:rofl:

Sorry to be so glum, but you can expect this "fight" to turn out the same as the others.

[arrested_president]

8. "you can expect this "fight" to turn out the same as the others"

yup.

it's been too late a long time ago - the fixes are IN and the good guys and the bad guys have been playing us...

[BlueJessamine]

9. you gotta have

[depakid]

23. Why on earth would Republicans give them ANYTHING

I wouldn't, if I were in their shoes.

The Dems have proven too cowardly to enforce the law- and apparently, there aren't any consequences to ignoring their requests (or subpoenas, when they're "bold" enough to issue them).

How's that US attorney investigation going?

[Hissyspit]

10. Bush Administration Trying to Stop Fraud Reporting by War Contractors Abroad

Source: Associated Press

Bush Administration Trying To Stop Fraud Reporting By War Contractors Abroad
LARA JAKES JORDAN | March 20, 2008 08:59 PM EST |

WASHINGTON — House Democrats demanded documents Thursday about a multibillion-dollar overseas contracting loophole to track down how and why the Bush administration slipped it into plans to protect taxpayer money. Leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee gave the administration until April 4 to turn over the documents or, aides have said, face a possible subpoena.

The controversial loophole has irked Democrats and Republicans alike. But it has the support of a trade association that lobbies on behalf of giant global government contractors, including Blackwater USA, KBR Inc., Boeing Co., CACI International Inc. and Lockheed Martin.

The United States has spent more than $102 billion over the last five years to help rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. In that time, the Justice Department has uncovered at least $14 million in contract bribes in those two nations alone.

"Preventing fraud by contractors overseas should be a high priority," Democrats wrote in letters sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget and four other executive agencies. "Instead, the exemption for contracts to be performed overseas appears to have been inserted in the rule late in the process and against the wishes of the Department of Justice, which raises serious questions as to why and how such a policy was developed." The letters were signed by House Oversight Chairman Henry Waxman of California and committee members Reps. Edolphus Towns of New York and Peter Welch of Vermont. Welch, who first called for the investigation, vowed "to get to the bottom of this." "Who snuck this in at the eleventh hour and why?" Welch said in a statement. "No contractor should be given a free ride to defraud taxpayers, at home or abroad."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/20/bush-administration-tryin_n_92667.html

[magellan]

11. Criminals in the WH aren't willing to share damning documents

In other shocking news, the sun came up this morning.

[guyanakoolaid]

12. Ah, there's nothing they like wiping their asses with more than Congressional subpoenas

[sudopod]

13. Get those dirty fuckers ceilingcat! nt

[1776Forever]

14. How can they even defend their dirty treacherous actions!!!

You know what they would do with us if we had taken this kind of money and ran with it! Filthy dirty actions from our countries top corporations! And they wonder why there are so many who have had it with all of the crime done in the name of the War!

:argh:

[trusty elf]

15. At first I read "Bush Administration Trying To Stop Fraud By War Contractors",

and I thought, gee, that's not at all like them! Are they turning over a new leaf? Then I read it correctly-"trying to stop fraud reporting" and I realized how dumb I was to think for one second that they could be anything other than the corrupt bastards that we have come to expect.

Silly me! :dunce:

[cutlassmama]

16. Seven years later and they are just now worried about fraud???!!!

And what is "fraud reporting"? Isn't it fraud anyway you slice it?

[paparush]

17. Classic! NOT trying to stop the FRAUD. Just stopping the fraud REPORTING.

These guys eat, drink, sleep, and screw fraud. Its what they do. They make fraud work.

[Supersedeas]

18. we don't know the half of it

[go west young man]

19. Can you say Dick Cheney?

[calimary]

22. "SO?"

DAMN these sneaky-ass people!

WE own that stuff. WE THE PEOPLE. All those schmucks conveniently forget that they work for US. It's NOT the other way around. WE own this stuff because WE pay for it with our tax money. Mainly under duress, I think, because I don't know of any taxpayer who's actually authorized this particular shit.

This is being perpetrated in our name, on our time, and on our dime. Our tax money was used to underwrite all of this.

As gratuitous once said - "LET ME SEE WHAT I GOT FOR MY MONEY."

[Winterblues]

20. This will have Bush* and Cheney rolling on the floor with laughter

Another opportunity for the Cabal to shove it in the face of Democrats. It is a matter of National Security of course so no one can say anything or at the very least it is "Privileged" information...Congress is spitting into the wind...America has been run by a Criminal Enterprise since 2001. Everyone knows it yet no one does anything about it..

[Peace Teacher]

21. Theives will be theives. God help us all.

[devilgrrl]

25. Shouldn't it be Thieves will be thieves?

That's an awfully glaring spelling error teach.

I wouldn't want to help you do something that you can't do for yourself....

:popcorn:

[fascisthunter]

24. All of Which are Probably McCain Contributors (nt)

[Orsino]

26. "Demanded."

Slow-walking it into 2009.