Bush administration misses deadline to hand over contract fraud documents to House inquiry

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Star Tribune

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has delayed delivering documents to Congress explaining how a multibillion-dollar loophole exempting overseas work from scrutiny was slipped into a rule intended to crack down on fraud in government contracts.

A House panel will hear April 15 from White House and other administration officials about the loophole, which drew protests from Democrats and Republican lawmakers alike and been disavowed by Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

Proposed by the Justice Department last year, the rule aims to weed out and prosecute waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars spent on pricey government contracts. The loophole was slipped in without the department's approval by the time the proposed rule was published in the Federal Register in November.

The proposed rule — including the loophole, which was first reported by The Associated Press — could become law at any time.

The documents demand was the first step of a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee inquiry into whether private contracting firms pushed for the loophole. Documents from OMB, the departments of Justice and Defense, the General Services Administration and NASA were due Friday but have yet to be delivered.






Read more: http://www.startribune.com/nation/17363514.html

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[gateley]

1. Oooooh., I'm sure there'll be hell to pay.

:scared:

:eyes:

[Javaman]

13. yes, I can't wait for more of the feigned indignation and finger wagging

by our "responsible" congress who vowed oversight.

wake me up if it ever happens.

[Demeter]

2. Oooops! The memo got buried under all these Iran Bombing Plans

[TheDebbieDee]

3. And we're ........ what? Surprised by this?

[DavidMS]

4. I will only be suprised

if the Sargent at arms is ordered to arrest the responsible parties.

I don't get it. Why don't our people in congress take care of the problem with a couple of trials in the well of the house? Contempt of congress is still something congress can take care of in house..

It also makes for great TV.

[Solly Mack]

5. Imagine that.

Ho hum

[pleah]

6. Well how da ya like them apples?

I wonder if ANYONE up there is going to issue warrants or maybe start impeachment hearings OR ANYTHING?:eyes:

[samsingh]

7. are there any teeth to getting them to turn these over?

[frylock]

8. ssdd

:yawn:

[Peanut Butter]

9. Hummm, Imagine That !

[Amonester]

10. Send * a letter...

Send ** a letter...
Right now.
Right now-how-how...
bis

[bluesmail]

11. Running out the clock

So the D's complained of pork, the DOJ slipped in a loophole exempting overseas work from scrutiny and now they won't hand over the papers, How clever and how transparent.

[tanyev]

12. They're trying to get Barney to eat the documents.

[gratuitous]

14. More self-writing legislation

Nobody knows how these rules get into legislation, but isn't it odd how they're always skewed in one particular direction? Nobody knows who wrote this exemption, how it got into the bill, or anything about it. But we never hear about a rule getting in that would allow for heightened scrutiny of American businesses and their government-funded dealings. We're supposed to just keep footing the bills with taxpayer money and not ask so many goddam questions.

[jtrockville]

15. To quote Vice President Dick Cheney...

SO?

[jazzjunkysue]

16. Paging Gomer Pile:

"Surprise, surprise!"

[depakid]

17. Might be appropriate for someone in Congress to read these bills before they vote on them

I know, that's way too much to ask....

[superconnected]

18. A proposed loophole that may become law any minute to let them

get away with this fraud...

I don't like what I'm reading here. All I see is the crooks are about to get away with it again.