Rep. Henry Waxman has accused the State Department’s top oversight official of looking out for the best interests of the Bush administration, and not the American taxpayer. A number of current and former subordinates of the State Department’s inspector general contacted Waxman to report interference with investigations into fraud and corruption in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

New York Times:

WASHINGTON — A top House Democrat began an inquiry [Tuesday] into accusations that the State Department inspector general repeatedly interfered with investigations into fraud and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan, including defects in construction of the huge United States embassy in Baghdad, and put loyalty to the Bush administration ahead of his duties to American taxpayers.

Representative Henry A. Waxman of California, the chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent the inspector general, Howard J. Krongard, a 14-page letter spelling out accusations, which he said came from several current and former employees of that office, who documented their charges with e-mails.

Mr. Waxman wrote that the staff complaints followed Mr. Krongard’s testimony on July 26 to the House committee. Some of the accusers have sought “whistleblower” status, which protects government employees who report malfeasance from being punished for doing so, Mr. Waxman said.

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