Former Voice of America overseer hired two law firms to $4 million no-bid contracts.
Source: Washington Post
Former Voice of America overseer hired two law firms to $4 million no-bid contracts.
By Paul Farhi
1/25/2021, 5:25:24 p.m.
The former head of Voice of Americas parent agency hired two law firms to open-ended, no-bid contracts, including one specifying that top lawyers would earn $1,470 per hour, according to documents and people familiar with the matter. The two agreements have cost taxpayers close to $4 million over a five-month period, far more than was previously known, and possibly in violation of federal rules.
The first details of the arrangement were made public last week in a whistleblower complaint against Michael Pack, who was appointed chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) eight months ago, and whom President Biden forced to resign hours after he took office last week.
Documents detailing the agreements with the law firms were turned over in early January to the State Departments inspector general, which oversees USAGM and is now investigating, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose potential irregularities.
From his Senate confirmation in June until his resignation last week, Pack oversaw USAGMs portfolio of international news agencies, including VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. The networks specialize in broadcasting news in countries where an independent press is suppressed.
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The contracts were part of his effort to reshape USAGM and purge employees he saw as problematic from the news and broadcasting groups under its authority. Pack hired two Washington firms, McGuireWoods and Caplin & Drysdale apparently in contradiction to federal contracting regulations and guidelines, according to internal documents.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/former-head-of-voice-of-americas-parent-hired-two-law-firms-to-no-bid-contracts-price-tag-4-million/2021/01/25/87a35e7a-5d0c-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html
MyOwnPeace
(16,928 posts)have all of the ones that IQ45 fired been replaced by actual, competent, fair and objective replacements?
We KNOW he fired them because he didn't like what they were finding - just like this case........
Eugene
(61,903 posts)Matthew Klimow is a career diplomat, but his position was probably not stable under Trump.
MyOwnPeace
(16,928 posts)left by the end of the tRump regime that wasn't "acting" (well, here 'acting' means temporary - not having congressional approval - the only way tRump could get people in!)?
Of course we all know that most of his 'Cabinet' was "acting" (here meaning NOT REALLY DOING THEIR JOB) as if it was another part from tRump's "reality-show" vision of how government should run.
mitch96
(13,912 posts)TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)Karadeniz
(22,540 posts)Collimator
(1,639 posts)Most sluts are generous people who just really like sex. Don't lump 'em in with T***p.