U.S. Justice Department's Blackwater investigation blocked

[TonyGosling]

Could this be the same Buzzy Krongard to whom the 9/11 stock trades traced back?? Schurely Not!


Blackwater Probe Stifled by Conflicts
By RICHARD LARDNER, Associated Press Writer
Monday, November 26, 2007
(11-26) 14:57 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --

The State Department's acerbic top auditor wasn't happy when Justice Department officials told one of his aides to leave the room so they could discuss a criminal investigation of Blackwater Worldwide, the contractor protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq.



The episode reveals the badly strained relationship between Bush administration officials over the probe into whether Blackwater smuggled weapons into Iraq that could have gotten into insurgents' hands.

As a result of the bureaucratic crosscurrents between State's top auditor and Justice, the investigation has been bogged down for months.

A key date was July 11, when Howard Krongard, State's inspector general, sent an e-mail to one of his assistant inspector generals, telling him to "IMMEDIATELY" stop work on the Blackwater investigation. That lead to criticisms by Democrats that Krongard has tried to protect Blackwater and block investigations into contractor-related wrongdoing in Iraq.

"Instead of cooperating, Mr. Krongard apparently created a series of obstacles to the inquiry," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee examining Krongard's performance as the State Department official responsible for stamping out waste, fraud and abuse.

Krongard, whose credibility was damaged by the recent disclosure that his brother had a business affiliation with Blackwater, has disputed the charge, though he recused himself from Blackwater matters after the potential conflict of interest emerged.............
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/26/national/w 103247S86.DTL

[outsider]

Krongard? A relative of the guy that made a few bob on 9/11 'Insider Trading'? If the name is the same, it would be a big coincidence (but of course, Truthers are used to 'coincidences' by now.

[chek]

Alvin B. Krongard — "Buzzy" and Howard J. Krongard — "Cookie", are indeed brothers with interesting connections.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/17/us/17brothers.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1 &oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1195312066-Oic/8I93am+4JyKlekK7yA