US official in Blackwater probe quits (Howard Krongard)

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.S. State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard, under scrutiny for his brother's link to the Blackwater security firm, has decided to resign, U.S. officials said on Friday.

Krongard, the State Department's top investigator, has been accused by current and former subordinates of thwarting probes into waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq, including alleged arms smuggling by Blackwater.

"We thank him for his dedication to public service and wish him well in the future," State Department spokesman Gonzo Gallegos said.

Krongard last month recused himself from Blackwater oversight after saying in a congressional hearing that his brother A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard, a former executive director of the CIA, had attended a meeting of Blackwater's advisory board.

Krongard had begun the hearing by denying the "ugly rumors" that his brother was associated with the company, which is under investigation for a Sept. 16 shooting incident in Baghdad in which 17 Iraqis were killed.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07324527.htm

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Friday NEWS DUMP!

[maddezmom]

1. good riddance

[wordpix]

18. another rat has to 'spend time with the family,' no doubt

[tanyev]

23. Nope, his own family doesn't even want to spend time with him.

Son Seeks Restraining Order on Official

By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 27, 2007; Page A23

The son and daughter-in-law of State Department Inspector General Howard J. Krongard have asked a judge to issue a restraining order forcing him to stop sending "unprofessional and highly offensive" e-mails that suggested the family would be put "on the street" if they lost a lawsuit Krongard has filed against them, according to documents filed last week in a New Jersey court.

Krongard filed suit last year against his son, Kenneth W. Krongard, and his daughter-in-law, Kristin, over a home loan that he said they had defaulted on. They paid back the full loan -- then totaling about $320,000 -- within weeks of his suit being filed.

But Krongard has demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional interest and penalties and a full repayment of his legal fees. One of the exhibits on file in the case show that Krongard has claimed he has already been billed nearly $114,000 in legal fees.

His children suggested that Krongard was violating legal ethics by bypassing the lawyers and sending them threatening communications. In Krongard's e-mails included in last week's filing, he repeatedly berates his son, including denigrating his choice of lawyer. "As much as you despise me, do you really want to bet your family's future ON Barry Donohue and AGAINST me?" he asked on Aug. 12, referring to the lawyer.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092602285.html

[rodeodance]

2. I think Waxman will still get after him!

[sattahipdeep]

26. How can a jury decide who is the liar if there is no other evidence?

Prince wrote Buzzy :hi:
....
"Your experience and insight would be ideal to help our team determine where
we are and where we are going," Prince wrote.

....
When Ackerman asked Buzzy if Blackwater knew who his brother was when Prince offered
him the advisory board position, Buzzy said, "You think I had to tell them?
That they didn't know?" ....He added, "If Cookie's got integrity it's not gonna matter
one way or other....If he doesn't have integrity it's not gonna matter."

http://www.alternet.org/story/68134/?page=entire

[PDJane]

3. This whole damn administration

Needs a thoroughly clean sweep, I swear.

[RavensChick]

19. I've been the same thing for years!

Anyone got a big ass broom we can send over to Congress so they can do what we voted them into office to do? I'm not surprised this dude resigned. In fact, I'm all but certain the company will be a distant memory before long as more allegations surface.

[Bozita]

4. I'd rather he were frogmarched!

[Ian David]

5. Howard Krongard has resigned to spend time covering-up massacres with his family. n/t

[formercia]

6. Don't let the door hit you in the ass.

Fucking Crusader asshole.

Next!!

[Supersedeas]

7. Condi will miss you....you didn't have to go.

[n2doc]

8. Thats the way the cookie crumbles!

Just had to say it...


And.."state department spokesman Gonzo Gallegos"?!?! Does Everybody in this Admin come from a G_d dammed frat house? Where's Bluto and Flounder?

[Hand]

11. ...

Bluto and Flounder have left the building... :rofl:

[wordpix]

17. rofl, thanks for the laugh

:rofl:

[Aviation Pro]

9. Mitt, Newt, Scooter, Buzzy, Cookie, Turd Blossom....

...all they need is to form a circle jerk with Motherfucker George Bush, Widestance Larry Craig and Shitstain Shoots-Guy-In-Face to solidify their in-the-closet lifestyle.

Seriously, who in their right minds has nicknames like this when they're in their 50s? Get a fucking clue right-wing nut job lurkers, you are the party of NAMBLA and other deviants.

[KoKo]

10. Good.

[benld74]

12. Why do they fight, proclaim ignorance, proclaim innocence,

proclaim they are being railroaded, blame every one but themselves,, and then,, quietly slip into the night?
When and where will this sh*thead re-appear and how long will it take him?
Anyone wanna start a pool?

[hatrack]

13. So, is this Buzzy or Biffy who just quit?

Bucky, Jeb, Cookies, Zeppo, Chico and Gummo - the list goes on and on.

Those preppie looters sure LOVES them some fourth-grade nicknames, don't they?

[Gonnuts]

14. He quits and that's it?

We must be the biggest fools to ever walk the Earth.

Look, corruption has always been with us, but there was a time when even the appearance of corruption was grounds enough for someone to quit their position or have an investigation started. Here we have brothers coming from the most elite of the elite scoffing at us, blatantly ripping us off, major war-profiteering and they have the gall to play us for fools and here's the kicker - they'll get away with it!

Oh! They quit. Nothing to see here folks. Forget about the murders, mayhem and money.

[Bossy Monkey]

15. Spending more time overlooking the crimes of his family-- oh wait that's what he was already doing

[ChairmanAgnostic]

16. H O T D A M N ! ! ! ! about time, no, 1 year too late.

perhaps, 2

[annabanana]

20. His brother will probably leave Blackwater now too...

Lets face it. He was probably hired because he had ties into the administration.

[wizstars]

21. I think he really meant to say.....

"We thank him for his dedication to pubic service..." for the bush administration

(Maybe this is the blowjob we've been waiting for....):rofl:

[leftist_not_liberal]

22. Kin Folks of quality

THE world may be better off if Osama Bin Laden remains at large, according to the Central Intelligence Agency’s recently departed executive director.

If the world’s most wanted terrorist is captured or killed, a power struggle among his Al-Qaeda subordinates may trigger a wave of terror attacks, said AB “Buzzy” Krongard, who stepped down six weeks ago as the CIA’s third most senior executive.

“You can make the argument that we’re better off with him (at large),” Krongard said. “Because if something happens to Bin Laden, you might find a lot of people vying for his position and demonstrating how macho they are by unleashing a stream of terror.”

Krongard, a former investment banker who joined the CIA in 1998, said Bin Laden’s role among Islamic militants was changing.

“He’s turning into more of a charismatic leader than a terrorist mastermind,” he said. “Some of his lieutenants are the ones to worry about.”

Krongard, 68, said he viewed Bin Laden “not as a chief executive but more like a venture capitalist”.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article410125.ece

[pepperbear]

24. that's the way the cookie crumbles. n/t

[sattahipdeep]

25. Barbados

Is there a connection between the Krongards and the State Department's
systematic cover-up campaign for Blackwater? Unsurprisingly, Blackwater's
spokesperson, Anne Tyrrell, said, "We do not see a conflict of interest."
But these aren't questions for the company's PR people. These are questions
that must be answered by the brothers Krongard under oath.
http://www.alternet.org/story/68134/?page=entire