Government hires contractors to investigate abuses by other contractors in Iraq.
By on Oct 4th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Government hires contractors to investigate abuses by other contractors in Iraq.
ABC News reports that the State Department has hired the private firm U.S. Investigations Services “to fill positions in the newly created Force Investigation Unit (FIU),” which was created after last year’s deadly Blackwater shooting to investigate possible crimes committed by contractors in Iraq. However, it is illegal to hire contractors for jobs “considered to be inherently governmental functions” including “the direct conduct of criminal investigations.” Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) has written to the State Department about these “highly troubling” hires but has yet to receive a response.
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/Hire a wolf to investigate a string of fox raids on hen houses? Makes sense to me./ – snark off
October 4th, 2008 at 2:51 pm/Hire a wolf to investigate a string of fox raids on hen houses? Makes sense to me./ – snark off
Par for the course. It’s really the same with the bailout.
October 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pmYeah, that’s gonna work out well…
October 4th, 2008 at 2:56 pmOh this is rich – want to find out if private contractors are rippin’ off uncle sam? Ummmmmmm, hire some private contractors.
Were these “no bid” contracts?
October 4th, 2008 at 3:01 pmMore wasted money for the regime’s buddies.
Like I heard someone say the other day, ‘We’ve become a banana republic – with nukes.’
¶ AIO
October 4th, 2008 at 3:11 pmYup yup, send a fox in to guard the hen house.
October 4th, 2008 at 3:12 pmI thought that any money the government spent had to be specifially authorized for that purpose. Isn’t it illegal for the Bush Administration to spend money on this investigation, if it wasn’t spcifically authorized by Congress?
October 4th, 2008 at 3:13 pmSo does the White House put up a listing for these contractors on craigslist or something?
October 4th, 2008 at 3:23 pmFox guarding the hen houses?
October 4th, 2008 at 3:26 pmBTW, it’s important to stop this USIS company from doing anything related to investigating any shootings. If they grant immunity to someone (who shouldn’t get it), and the contract is deemed to be illegal, the immunity might have to be upheld, and we may never learn the truth.
I believe it is important to know whether this firm has been given extraordinary powers and allowed to grant immunity to witnesses. If they have been, not only is that unconstitutional, but it would suggest that the Bush administration is not interested in uncovering the truth. (And why would they? The truth never makes Bush look good.)
October 4th, 2008 at 3:28 pmNothing has changed now a Department created of criminals to investigate the criminals. Smart move by the Republicans as rob as much as you can while Americans do nothing but comaplain. You really can’t blame the White House for lying and stealing as much as possible as no one is stopping them.
October 4th, 2008 at 3:30 pmToday the EU has decided to solve their own Economic problems without the USA. Without the World investment the US is hosed. Nice to see the President of North Korea looking well as the White House reported he died. I guess Americans again were tricked and we see a dead man walking and smiling to the 1 billion citizens of North Korea.
Doc Rock Says:
Fox guarding the hen houses?
Billo would be saying obscene things about the hen’s feathers and asking what kind of fetishes they like. And St. Hannity would be asking to be spanked for his sins.
October 4th, 2008 at 3:35 pmPlease sing along: “Bush criminals, Bush criminals who need to investigate Bush criminals, are the luckiest Bush criminals in the world…”
October 4th, 2008 at 3:51 pmJackie Says:
I guess Americans again were tricked and we see a dead man walking and smiling to the 1 billion citizens of North Korea.
________
Jackie? N Korea doesn’t have a billion citizens. Not even close.
(23.3MM)
October 4th, 2008 at 4:07 pmOval:
With apologies to Barbara Streisand, of course. ;)
October 4th, 2008 at 4:10 pmIt will not surprise me a bit to see the same thing happening with the 700 billion dollars bailout of Wall Street.
October 4th, 2008 at 4:11 pmProbably government will hire people to investigate corporate mess who were the reason behind this mess from start.
And by the time the government pay the consultants,the lawyers,the big fat corporations..nothing will be left to help the little guy whom they said the money is put to help him to begin with.
I am happy that Senator Russ Feingold is taking this issue seriously of contractors investigating other contractors when in fact it is the duty of the government to do so.
tarazan:
Isn’t that the GOP way? It’s ingenious really. Carve the government up for the benefit of Corporate Cronies, then put more Corporate Cronies in charge of “oversight.”
Just off the top of my head I can think of:
Manufacturing advocate lawyer in charge of the Consumer Protection Agency.
Mining advocate lawyer in charge of the agency that oversees mining safety.
Union buster as head of Labor.
I’m sure there are more, but those are the ones I know of offhand.
October 4th, 2008 at 4:16 pmI thought Inspector Clouseau had retired.
http://www.wilytrax.com
October 4th, 2008 at 4:27 pmanyone notice as the criminal behaviors rise, our right to protest/demonstrate decreases?
Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1
October 4th, 2008 at 4:28 pmWhat a great idea. If only Nazis could have investigated Hitler..
October 4th, 2008 at 4:41 pmthe State Department has hired the private firm U.S. Investigations Services “to fill positions in the newly created Force Investigation Unit (FIU),”
from the CSIS Website..
The outrage over (President)Garfield’s death generated a national movement, which eventually resulted in the establishment of the Civil Service Commission in 1883. One of its duties was to oversee the investigation of the background, suitability, and loyalty of employees and applicants for federal positions.
For almost half a century, that responsibility was in our province as the Investigations Service arm of the Office of Personnel Management.( an Arm of the Civil Service Commission?)
Formation of USIS
On July 8, 1996, USIS was formed on the initiative of the President and Congress as an employee-owned company. USIS is steeped in the tradition of providing high-quality, timely investigative services to its customers. ( Bill Clinton’s effort to end the Era of Big Govt., by privitizing services?)
Today, USIS is the industry leader in employment background and drug screening services. USIS is recognized as a primary resource for business information and due diligence services and the pre-eminent supplier of national security and administrative STAFFING SUPPORT for U.S. government programs here and abroad.
S0…it seems that CSIS will be doing exactly the same things it is doing all over the world …but NOW in Iraq.
October 4th, 2008 at 5:05 pmObviously another dirty tactic by Cheney and friends to cover up their abuses. I pray to God that we can get that s.o.b before he finds a hole to hide in
October 4th, 2008 at 5:08 pmImpeach Rice and then fry.
October 4th, 2008 at 5:10 pmCrooked crony Republicans investigating crooked crony Republicans.
Gee, why does this sound like Paulson being put in charge of $700 Billion in taxpayer funds to bail-out his crony pals on Wall Street?
October 4th, 2008 at 5:14 pmDoc Rock Says:
Fox guarding the hen houses?
Or pimp, guarding the “stable”…
October 4th, 2008 at 5:28 pm.
… And the wolf ALWAYS makes the best guard of the hen house!
.
October 4th, 2008 at 5:39 pm14 The Republic of Stupidity Says:
Your are so correct I punched b and it should have been million. Yes 23 million to be exact. Thanks for the correction.
October 4th, 2008 at 5:57 pmCircumventing the GAO since threatening to cut their budget.
October 4th, 2008 at 6:15 pmhad enough Says:
anyone notice as the criminal behaviors rise, our right to protest/demonstrate decreases?
Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1
This whole thing is b.s. There is to be NO active army forces in the U.S. (especially this standing force) that is in any way Constitutional. Posse Comitus can be suspended in only two events: either insurrection or invasion. Insurrection does NOT include a protest, but these troops are being prepared for “crowd control,” NOT an insurrection. The other rationale is to “help the American people in the event of a disaster.” That’s what the hel* the National Guard is for. Bring THOSE troops home…get them off the battlefield and out of the war zone. I do believe the government is preparing for a declaration of martial law, but their motive is still speculative.
October 4th, 2008 at 7:12 pmThe Carlyle Group made big money off their holding USIS. They sold their last piece in 2005.
http://www.carlyle.com/Portfolio/item10418.html
October 4th, 2008 at 7:44 pmUSIS is currently private, thus not much information is available to the public:
http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/107/107075.html
Here’s a piece on how much the company has been traded by the PEU boys:
http://www.altassets.com/news/arc/2007/nz10895.php
October 4th, 2008 at 8:14 pmUSIS purchased HireRight this past summer for almost $20 a share. HireRight had $11 million in auction rate securities, the kind the Uncle Sam will buy back in the $700 billion bailout.
USIS not only can make money from contracting with the government. It can show up at Paulson’s Treasury window.
October 4th, 2008 at 8:20 pmrandi rhodes has been warning about this privitization of investigations for many months, if not years… long as i remember.
October 4th, 2008 at 8:28 pmFrom Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone Magazine:
The Bush administration’s lack of interest in recovering stolen funds is one of the great scandals of the war. The White House has failed to litigate a single case against a contractor under the False Claims Act and has not sued anybody for breach of contract. It even declined to join in a lawsuit filed by whistle-blowers who are accusing KBR of improper invoicing in Fallujah. “For all the Bush administration claims to do in the war against terrorism,” Grayson said in congressional testimony, “it is a no-show in the war against war profiteers.” In nearly five years of some of the worst graft and looting in American history, the administration has recovered less than $6 million.
So which is worse? Private Investigations or NO Investigations?
October 4th, 2008 at 8:42 pmwhich is worse? not sure…
but it probably amounts to BOTH with bushco…
October 4th, 2008 at 9:36 pmWho will investigate the private investigators hand-picked by the corrupt Bush administration to conduct these “investigations”?
This is just another Republican pyramid scheme with taxpayer money only going to corrupt, crony Republican companies and individuals…under the guise (and propaganda) of conducting taxpayer-friendly investigations into Republican-generated corruption.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:44 pmNewly created?
FIU?
This has to be a joke.
How many in-ya-face-bs from the dems?
What the hell are the dems thinking about?
Why do dems move as slow as “molasses going up hill during winter.” It really tees me off.
Why do the dems give in to a money grubbing bill? How does a 2 page bill turn into a 400+ page money grubbing speedy bs bill?
I know how the economy works. Whatever chimpy/mcchimpy does, don’t do.
Oh yeah repugs, F-uck You
October 5th, 2008 at 1:17 amHiring a contractor to investigate no-bid (or highest bid) contractors is the Bush/Cheney administration mocking the rest of us. It’s a big “f-you” on the way out the door. They were laughing as they signed yet another contract to investigate a contractor.
October 5th, 2008 at 1:21 amCongress formed a Commissionon Wartime Contracting for Iraq and Afghanistan. He appointed Dov Zakheim, the former CFO of the Pentagon, to the Commission.
Dov is the guy in charge when they couldn’t account for $1.5 trillion in Pentagon funds/assets. He currently works for giant government consultant Booz, Allen, Hamilton. The Carlyle Group downed Booz this past summer.
October 5th, 2008 at 10:27 amBush appointed Zakheim. My apologies for not making that clear.
October 5th, 2008 at 10:27 am