Feds Still Investigating Iraq Inspector GeneralThe Washington Post had an update this weekend on the criminal investigation of Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), whose reports of waste and fraud in Iraq have caused the administration regular headaches. The Post broke word last December that Bowen was the focus of a number of investigations, the most serious of which was a probe by the FBI. Congress Daily first broke word that Bowen was under investigation by the FBI.
Now the grand jury is mostly focused on whether Bowen and his deputy Ginger Cruz (a wiccan who has allegedly spooked staff with threats of hexes) illegally viewed staff emails, the Post reports. There seems to be no dispute that Bowen and Cruz actually viewed the staff emails. Where there’s a difference of opinion is why:
“Bowen and Cruz were looking at e-mails to find out who was loyal and who was not,” said a former SIGIR official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.Berenson said senior officials reviewed employee e-mails “as part of an authorized internal investigation into possible press leaks. SIGIR policy permits such e-mail reviews and all employees are notified, regularly reminded and trained on these policies.”