Now that Buzzy Krongard has quit Blackwater's advisory board, will State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard rescind his recusal from Blackwater investigations?

I'd like to be able to answer that question, but unfortunately it'll take a little while. During the pre-Thanksgiving rush to leave town, the Office of the Inspector General's press operation is in the hands of Terry Heide, who normally handles congressional affairs for the OIG. When I called Heide and posed the question, she replied, "The OIG has no further comments on anything related to Mr. Krongard's situation." Attempts at a follow-up were repelled by an instruction that there was "no need to call us back, because we have no comment." Click.

In September, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) accused Heide of threatening IG whistleblowers Ron Militana and Brian Rubendall. According to Waxman, when Militana and Rubendall attempted to cooperate with his investigation of Krongard for stifling waste, fraud and abuse inquiries, Heide told them, "You have no whistleblower protections. Howard could retaliate and you would have no recourse.” ... Howard can fire you." In a phone interview with me the day Waxman issued the charge, Heide "categorically" denied threatening Militana and Rubendall.

So much for the pleas of defense attorney Barbara van Gelder not to turn brother against brother.

On Saturday, van Gelder, attorney for State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard, asked Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) to abandon a planned hearing into whether Krongard lied to the House oversight committee about his brother's ties to Blackwater. But Waxman isn't buying it. Says a committee staffer: "Our plans are the same. The dispute with his brother reinforces the questions regarding his credibility and competence."

No word yet on whether Buzzy Krongard will testify at the hearing, which is scheduled to occur the week of December 3rd.

When you talk to your brother on the phone, you take notes, right? Well, Howard "Cookie" Krongard does.

As we mentioned, Cookie's criminal attorney Barbara van Gelder sent Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) his notes of what brother Buzzy Krongard told him about Buzzy's relationship with Blackwater. We've added Cookie's notes to our document collection (read them here), along with van Gelder's request that Waxman stop investigating her client (read that here).

I, for one, envy Cookie's handwriting. Line one: Buzzy has "NO financial interest whatever" in Blackwater. Paragraph three: "Was on short list for Advisory Board position but is not taking it." That, of course, contradicts what Buzzy Krongard told me and Waxman and anyone else who'll listen. We'll see what he has to say about his brother's notes.

State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard's new strategy to get out of a possible perjury investigation? Begging.

It turns out Krongard has retained a criminal defense lawyer named Barbara van Gelder. (Maybe for the perjury fight, maybe because of the FBI's recent parley with Cookie's subordinates.) Van Gelder wrote to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) on Saturday to ask the House oversight committee chairman to cancel an upcoming hearing on whether Krongard lied to the committee about what he knew of his brother's (since-renounced) position on Blackwater's advisory board. According to van Gelder, the committee would be doing little more than interfering in an unseemly family feud: "There is no legitimate purpose to be gained by publicly pitting two brothers against each other."

And yet she makes it so tempting. Van Gelder provided what she describes as Krongard's notes of his crucial phone conversation with his brother Buzzy on Halloween. Buzzy says he told Cookie he was joining the Blackwater board during that conversation. Van Gelder says that's not so, and Cookie has evidence to prove it. Take it away, Justin:

A page van Gelder purports to be Howard's contemporaneous notes on the conversation appear to indicate Buzzy Krongard said he had no financial ties to Blackwater and would not take the board position he had been offered.

"No financial interest whatsoever," the alleged notes read. The word "no" is underlined. "Was on short list for Advisory Board but is not taking it," the document states.

But, she argues, Waxman shouldn't seek to resolve the contradiction between the two accounts -- one of which was administered under oath, and the other of which was formally reported to Congressional investigators. Van Gelder is surely worth every penny.

Oh, and if that name sounds familiar: Barbara van Gelder, an ex-federal prosecutor, was last seen representing former OMB procurement official David Safavian.

It's late Friday afternoon, and yet, Howard "Cookie" Krongard still appears to be in office as the State Department inspector general. (His voice is still on his office voicemail, at least.) His spokeswoman says he has no intention of resigning, even as the likelihood of a congressional perjury investigation increases. So if he won't resign, who can fire Krongard?

In the final analysis, it would be up to President George W. Bush. Only a handful of federal inspectors-general can be fired by their agency chiefs, and State's is not among them. That's a good-government measure: after all, it's probably not conducive to integrity in governance if top officials can dismiss their internal watchdogs. (Only top U.S. allies can do that.) Savor the irony: by not firing a supposedly-independent public servant, President Bush is helping the cause of transforming the U.S. into a banana republic.

There are, however, procedures to be followed for cashiering Cookie. The first is to refer a complaint to the Inspector Generals' inspector -- Kenneth Kaiser of the FBI, who runs the integrity committee of the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency. His committee is presumably the one State Department spokesman Sean McCormack meant when he said yesterday that State has "asked the overseer board of inspectors general to look into the work of the State Department Inspector General Office." However, when I called the State Department to confirm that, and to find out when the referral occurred, a charming State flack told me that it was after 5 p.m. on Friday and he had "a million things to do." I left a message with Kaiser's spokeswoman, and I'll bring you more as soon as I have more to report.

However, in the event that Kaiser thinks Cookie's gone a bit stale, Kaiser's boss might be more sympathetic. That would be famed Bush crony Clay Johnson III, who vetted such Bush administration luminaries as Mike Brown and David Safavian. If Krongard wants to fight on to the bitter end, he might have a friend in a very convenient place.

We're that much closer to a perjury investigation. Buzzy Krongard has told House oversight committee staff what he told TPMmuckraker on Wednesday: that he told his brother, State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard, about his decision to join the advisory board of State Department contractor Blackwater. Cookie Krongard told the committee on Wednesday his brother had told him no such thing.

Waxman says he'll hold a hearing the week of December 3 to determine if Krongard lied to the committee under oath. Both Krongard brothers will be invited to testify. And you thought your last family reunion was awkward. But will Howard Krongard resign before then?

Here's what Buzzy Krongard told Waxman's staff, according to a just-released Waxman memorandum:

Buzzy Krongard stated that Howard Krongard called him specifically to ask about any relationship he had with Blackwater “in preparation for his testimony” to the Committee. Buzzy Krongard stated: “He asked me whether I had any financial interest or any ties to Blackwater, and so I told him ‘I’m going on their Board.’” According to Buzzy Krongard, “He responded by saying, ‘Why would you do that?’ and ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’” Buzzy Krongard then said, “I told him that was my decision, not his, and that we just differed on that.”

Buzzy Krongard stated that during the Committee hearing, he was at home watching it live. He listened to Howard Krongard’s prepared opening statement. Then, he heard Howard Krongard offer spontaneously the comment that his brother had no connection to Blackwater. Buzzy Krongard said: “You could have blown me over.” During the hearing, he attempted to reach Howard Krongard by telephone. Before he could reach him, Buzzy Krongard received a call from Howard Krongard and explained again that he was a member of the Board.

Apparently Buzzy called the committee after receiving a letter from Waxman yesterday. As Waxman reiterated at the hearing, lying to committee staff -- even if not deposed under oath -- is a potential criminal offense, and Buzzy offered this account without being subpoenaed.

Update: Just got off the phone with Cookie Krongard's spokeswoman, Diane Quest. Quest says she just saw Waxman's letter and has taken it in to Krongard for review. "I don't see us having any comment on it," she says. No word yet on whether he'll go back to testify at the just-announced hearing. And, for the record: Will Krongard resign? "As far as I know, no."

Sure enough, Rep. Henry Waxman wrote yesterday to Buzzy Krongard to sort out whether or not his brother, State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard, truthfully testified to Waxman's committee that Buzzy never told him about joining the advisory board of State Department contractor Blackwater.

Waxman didn't subpoena Krongard, but asked if he'd consent to a "transcribed interview" by November 30. He also wants a couple pieces of documentation. From Waxman's letter (pdf):

1. All documents reflecting communications to or from (a) Erik Prince, (b) Blackwater USA or any parent companies, subsidiaries, or affiliated companies thereof (collectively, "Blackwater"); or (c) any officers, employees, or other persons affiliated with Blackwater.

2. All documents, including phone records, relating to communications with Howard J. Krongard regard Erik Prince or Blackwater.

3. All other documents relating to Blackwater or your relationship with Blackwater.

Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post and Warren Strobel of McClatchy unearth a gem I missed from Wednesday's Cookie Krongard hearing. Apparently, the Justice Department has a criminal probe open into the construction of the Baghdad embassy. That would explain Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) focus on Krongard's alleged non-cooperation with Justice on the embassy contracting issue. Kessler:

The probe came to light Wednesday during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing into the actions of State Department Inspector General Howard J. Krongard. Though lawmakers appeared careful not to mention names of people under investigation, Krongard mentioned two people during his testimony, both of whom are key figures in the building of the embassy, as he defended his practice of meeting with people under investigation.

"I would like to tell you exactly what I was doing, both with Mr. Golden and Ms. French," Krongard told lawmakers.

James L. Golden is a Washington-based contract employee of the State Department who oversees the project, though earlier this year the U.S. ambassador to Iraq barred him from returning to that country after he was suspected of altering evidence after a mortar attack. Mary French is the embassy project coordinator based in Baghdad.

Justice isn't commenting. But perhaps this probe is why the FBI paid Krongard a recent visit?

In the middle of a story in the Baltimore Sun about the sibling tension between State Department inspector general Cookie Krongard and his brother Buzzy, there's this revelation: apparently, in the phone conversation where Buzzy told Cookie he was going over to Blackwater, Cookie tried to talk his brother out of it.

Buzzy Krongard was watching that testimony at home in Lutherville and said he was "flabbergasted" by his brother's remarks. The pair had talked about three weeks earlier, Buzzy Krongard said. "I told him I was going on the advisory board, and he then said, 'I don't think that's a very good idea,' and I said that was for me to figure out."

Cookie Krongard, as we reported yesterday, is not saying another word about the incident. But Buzzy's latest revelation -- which he did not mention to me when TPMm broke the story -- suggests even more trouble for Cookie. If true, then Cookie clearly acknowledged that the appointment of his brother to Blackwater's advisory board would create a conflict of interest for him as the State Department inspector general.

Read more »

He probably called it a working vacation.

TPMm friend Nick Schwellenbach at POGO highlighted this a couple weeks back, but it's never too late to bring to your attention the travel photos of Howard "Cookie" Krongard, the embattled State Department inspector general.

To the left and above, Cookie hangs out with his security detail. "Not too worried about the bad guys at the moment," the caption says. Unfortunately, those guys weren't around for Cookie's Congressional hearing earlier this week.

To the right, see him kick back in what he calls the "V V I P lounge" of Kabul airport on what appears to be a leopard-skin chair! He must be tired from a hard day of thoroughly investigating waste, fraud and abuse in Afghanistan all by himself.

Below, a sporty-looking Cookie climbs the ruins of what he claims is a Taliban armored personnel carrier! (They had those?)

Elaborating on today's gaggle discussion of the State Department's faith in Howard "Cookie" Krongard, here's what spokesman Sean McCormack had to say at the formal press briefing:

QUESTION: Okay. And just the second thing, you've been asked several times if you could say that the Secretary or the building has confidence in him and you have declined --

MR. MCCORMACK: Look, he's still --

QUESTION: -- to say that.

MR. MCCORMACK: He's still -- he is still doing his job as Inspector -- as Inspector General. He has --

QUESTION: (Inaudible) that you have confidence in his ability to do the job --

MR. MCCORMACK: Look, it's not --

QUESTION: Do you have confidence in his --

MR. MCCORMACK: It's not for me to judge, Matt, the job the Inspector General is doing. The Congress can do that. The Secretary can do that. There have been questions that he has had to answer. He has answered those with Chairman Waxman. There have been some issues that have been raised with respect to the Inspector General's office. As appropriate, we have asked the overseer board of inspectors general to look into the work of the State Department Inspector General Office. These are -- this is all strictly according to the book. Howard is continuing his work as Inspector General. It's important work, the Secretary believes it's important work, and clearly, the Congress believes it's important work.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) -- but the word, confident -- you can't use the word, confidence, or give me a yes or no answer to the question, do you have confidence?

MR. MCCORMACK: (Inaudible) you can play the Washington games with people. Howard is still working as Inspector General here at the State Department.

Here's what Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) meant yesterday when he said Howard "Cookie" Krongard's deputy was in the dark about the State Department's inspector general's familial ties to Blackwater.

Contained in a just-released House oversight committee report (pdf) put together by the Democratic staff is this exchange between staff members and Deputy Inspector General Bill Todd:

Q: Do you know whether Mr. Krongard has any relationship with Blackwater or any individuals affiliated with Blackwater?

A: I asked him about it. He says no. ...

Q: Do you know whether his brother, Buzzy Krongard, is affiliated with Blackwater in any way?

A: I have no knowledge of that. I asked him that.

Q: And what did he say?

A: Absolutely not.

It's unclear when Todd was deposed, though I'm checking that with the committee staff. The timing is significant: Buzzy Krongard says he told Cookie Krongard he was joining Blackwater's advisory board about two to three weeks ago. Did Cookie Krongard misrepresent himself to Todd? Indeed, what occasioned Todd's inquiry into Krongard's ties to Blackwater in the first place? I have a call out to the State Department Inspector General's office to try and figure all this out as well.

Similarly, I'm hearing State will release a prepared statement this evening about Condoleezza Rice's ability to fire Krongard. Apparently I wasn't the only reporter today curious about how firing an inspector general works.

Update: Turns out the interview with Todd took place on October 12. That would be before Buzzy told Cookie he was taking the Blackwater position, according to Buzzy's timeline.

That's one fewer corruption case Howard "Cookie" Krongard will investigate. The embattled State IG says he'll step aside from the Baghdad Embassy construction scandal.

In addition to removing himself from all queries related to Blackwater, Inspector General Howard Krongard has given up his role in looking into corruption allegations involving the construction of the new U.S. embassy in Baghdad, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

The move came at the request of a congressional oversight committee chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., which Krongard testified before a day earlier. During the hearing he learned, apparently for the first time, that his brother is a member of Blackwater's advisory board.

"That was at the request of Congressman Waxman's committee because they are doing their own inquiries into the new embassy compound," McCormack said. "Because of the reporting relationship between the IG and the Congress, of course, Howard honored that request."

How does State feel about Krongard remaining on the job? Here's AP's dry wit:

Despite the fact that he has now recused himself from the State Department's two main internal investigations in Iraq and has come under heavy pressure to resign, Krongard has not offered to step down and is, for the moment, continuing as the inspector general, McCormack told reporters. He did not, however, offer Krongard a ringing endorsement.

"He is still doing his work as inspector general," McCormack said. "Obviously, if there weren't support for his doing his job as inspector general, then he wouldn't be doing that job."

Update: There's quite an irony here. As Paul reported, Krongard stopped his staff from investigating corruption in the embassy construction contract -- preferring to personally collect a blanket denial from the contractor after speaking to hand-picked employees and closing the file. Maybe now the IG's office can actually get some work done here.

So much for those questions. Diane Quest, spokeswoman for State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard, says Krongard is "not commenting any further than what was said at the hearing." Asked if Krongard stands by his testimony in light of its direct contradiction by his brother, Quest repeated the no-comment.

Will Krongard stay on the job? Quest says she's heard of "no announcements" by the State Department on Krongard's future.

Howard "Cookie" Krongard, the State Department inspector general, has some explaining to do. Yesterday he told Congress that his brother, A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard, never told him that Buzzy joined the advisory board of State Department contractor Blackwater. Only Buzzy told me that he told Cookie precisely that in a phone conversation about two or three weeks ago. It's going to be a fun Thanksgiving for the Krongards.

Cookie Krongard pledged at yesterday's House oversight committee hearing to recuse himself from any Blackwater investigations. But here's the question: if Buzzy is telling the truth -- and he has much less motive to lie than his brother does -- why didn't Cookie recuse himself as soon as he learned of Buzzy's ties to Blackwater? Buzzy's timeline puts Cookie's knowledge of the family Blackwater ties near the time when Amb. Patrick Kennedy was reviewing the State Department's relationships to security contractors. Did the inspector general's office contribute to that review?

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) said at the hearing yesterday -- but did not elaborate -- that Krongard concealed his brother's ties to Blackwater from his own deputy. How did the deputy learn of the concealment?

Furthermore, with Blackwater remaining a central focus of State Department internal inquiry, how can State function with an inspector general who can't take part in the probes?

We've got calls out to the State Department and to Krongard's office to learn the answers to these questions. Updates to come.

Howard "Cookie" Krongard might have just perjured himself before the House Oversight Committee.

Earlier today, the State Department inspector general repeatedly told the panel that he was unaware his brother, A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard, had joined the advisory board of State Department security contractor Blackwater. Krongard said he had a single phone conversation with his brother about the issue, in October, in which Buzzy didn't tell Cookie he was joining the board.

Only Buzzy says that's not true.

In an exclusive interview with TPMmuckraker, Buzzy Krongard says that in that phone conversation, he specifically told Cookie Krongard he had agreed to join Blackwater's advisory board. "I had told my brother I was going on the advisory board," Buzzy Krongard says. "My brother says that is not the case. I stand by what I told my brother."

Buzzy Krongard says the phone conversation was more recent than Cookie Krongard indicated to the committee. Cookie said it took place about five or six weeks ago. Buzzy says it was about two or three weeks ago. Both men say there was just one phone conversation. How to reconcile the two accounts?

"I told him I was going on this board. He claims I didn't tell him," Buzzy Krongard says. "So what can I tell you?"

Read more »

Leave aside the drama from today's House oversight committee hearing about State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard's brother joining the advisory board of a huge State Department contractor. Another issue that came up: Krongard is accused of improperly tipping off ex-Broadcasting Board of Governors chief Ken Tomlinson -- a close Karl Rove ally and muckly fellow -- in 1995 that Tomlinson was under investigation for double-billing the State Department for hours worked. The charge was included in Rep. Henry Waxman's bill of particulars (pdf) against Krongard issued in September.

Krongard initially told Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) that he didn't have any contact with Tomlinson. But in follow-up questioning with Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), he said his temporary assistant accidentally faxed specific complaints about Tomlinson from a whistleblower over to the BBG's executive director. It was all a mistake, Krongard said, because he had just meant to send the BBG a letter from Congress alerting BBG to the investigation.

Only sending the letter from Congress is exactly what Waxman initially faulted. His bill of complaints against Krongard stated that sending the BBG the Congressional letter "was inconsistent with standard investigative procedures, and, according to multiple sources, jeopardized the investigation." What's more, Waxman didn't buy Krongard's distinction between sending the fax to the executive director and communicating with Tomlinson, which was the basis for his answer to Shays. Krongard, for his part, said there was no way he could have conducted any kind of inquiry if he hadn't reached out to the BBG executive director for basic information.

One of Krongard's chief defenders, Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), found the timeline of the Krongards' relationship with Blackwater troubling. "To have your brother tell you he was not involved in Blackwater" and to only find out at the hearing that he's connected to the company "is a pretty outrageous thing," Shays said. Buzzy has done Cookie "tremendous damage" and suggested that Cookie should have taken further steps to ensure that he knew whether his brother was on the advisory board of a State Department contractor. Here's video:

According to Howard "Cookie" Krongard, his brother Buzzy didn't tell him in a phone conversation in early October that he had joined Blackwater's advisory board, though Buzzy "may have" mentioned he was approached by the company for the position. So when did Buzzy Krongard join the advisory board?

Blackwater's Anne Tyrrell says she doesn't know the exact date. But "it would be accurate to say that he was invited in late July and accepted soon after," she says.

Howard "Cookie" Krongard said he's just learned that his brother is on Blackwater's advisory board and has formally recused himself from investigating the company.

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) asked when Krongard learned his brother, A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard was on Blackwater's board. Krongard said that he just learned about his brother's position, and had a single phone conversation with him in early October -- "about five, six weeks ago" -- in which Buzzy told Cookie that he didn't have "a significant financial interest" in Blackwater. Blackwater has multi-million contracts with the State Department.

Company spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell told me the advisory board was formed in the summer. I'm still trying to learn the exact date Buzzy joined up, but that would be before Buzzy's phone conversation with his brother. Cookie Krongard told Rep. Lynch that his brother didn't mention taking a position on the advisory board, although Buzzy "may have said" that Blackwater approached him about one. "I am not my brother's keeper," Cookie Krongard said.

Here's video:

Update: Cookie has certainly changed his tune from the beginning of the hearing. There, he said that his brother had told him that he wasn't on Blackwater's advisory board. Here's what he said:

"I can tell you very frankly, I am not aware of any financial interest or position [my brother] has with respect to Blackwater. It couldn’t possibly have affected anything I’ve done, because I don’t believe it. And when these ugly rumors started recently, I specifically asked him. I do not believe it is true that he is a member of the advisory board, as you stated, and that is something I think I need to say."

Late Update: Rep. Lynch's first name is Stephen, not Patrick. I regret the error.

That's settled. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell confirmed in an e-mail today to TPMmuckraker that A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard, brother of State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard, is a member of Blackwater's advisory board.

Howard Krongard testified this morning that he doesn't know if his brother is on Blackwater's advisory board, but if Buzzy is, Howard would recuse himself from any Blackwater-related investigations.

Krongard might not know if his brother is a member of Blackwater's advisory board. But Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) read from a July, 2007 letter from Erik Prince, the company's CEO, inviting A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard to join the board as "a stellar opportunity to support security, peace and freedom." Howard Krongard said he still didn't know if his brother has in fact joined the board, but that if A.B. Krongard has, Howard Krongard would recuse himself from any investigations into Blackwater.

We'll show you the letter as soon as we have it.

Rep. Cummings also said that there's a Blackwater advisory board meeting in a Virginia hotel right now. Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA) followed up, saying that A.B. Krongard has, in fact, checked into that hotel, which is in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Howard Krongard replied that he didn't know if, perhaps, his brother traveled to Williamsburg to decline membership on the board. Here's video:

Update: Here's the letter. (pdf)

Late Update: Rep. Elijah Cummings represents Maryland, not Georgia. I regret the error.

Why didn't Howard Krongard cooperate with a Justice Department investigation of whether Blackwater smuggled weapons into Iraq? One explanation, that Krongard denied, is that his brother has ties with Blackwater. (It's still unclear. We have requested comment from Blackwater. We'll see.)

Krongard's own explanation is that in early July this year, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, informed Krongard that he was reviewing two Blackwater contracts with the State Department and asked for help. Krongard said that he didn't think it was appropriate to cooperate with a "criminal" investigation until he could "deconflict" his role with Bowen's investigation: "It raised questions of parallel procedure." Here's video:

Waxman said that Krongard's explanation contradicts what he was told by both Krongard deputies and Justice Department officials, who say it's standard practice for inspector general investigators to cooperate with Justice Department requests.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), playing his usual contrary role, said that none of Krongard's whistleblower accusers agreed to testify under oath. Waxman countered that the accusers were under oath in private interviews and GOP members were allowed to cross-examine them. The GOP wanted them to testify today and isn't satisfied with Waxman's promise to release the transcripts of their interviews.

At the beginning of today's House oversight committee hearing on State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) dropped a bombshell: Krongard's brother, former CIA Executive Director A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard, sits on Blackwater's advisory board. Blackwater, of course, is a State Department contractor.

Calling Krongard's case one of seemingly "reckless incompetence," Waxman reminded the hearing that one of the charges against Krongard is that he squelched an investigation into a State contractor -- since named as Blackwater -- smuggling weapons into Iraq. According to Waxman, Howard Krongard concealed his brother's association with Blackwater from "his own deputy." Here's video:

Update: Krongard just said he is "unaware of any financial interest" in Blackwater by his brother. "I do not believe it is true that he is a member of the advisory board, as you stated," he told Waxman.

Late Update: To be clear, the issue seems to be that Blackwater invited Krongard's brother to join its advisory board, not its board of directors. This post has been changed to reflect this clarification.

Did State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard squelch investigations into waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan? He'll at least get a hearing before the House oversight committee today. We'll be providing running updates (it's airing on C-Span3 this morning and streaming on the committee's website).

The panel's Republicans think Cookie is getting a raw deal. And right on time for the hearing, they've released a report defending him from charges of politicizing the office. Krongard, you'll recall, has been accused by committee chairman Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) of scuttling numerous investigations into State Department contracting, as well as retaliating against whistleblowers who came to Waxman with their concerns.

The executive summary claims that the committee's investigation has "descended to governing by personal attack" and says that the allegations against Krongard "remain unsubstantiated." What's more: the Democrats' "expenditure of time and taxpayer funds spent proving that the State Department IG is abrasive and abusive is itself an abuse of the Committee’s authority."

You can read the full report here (pdf). I haven't, but The Washington Post has, and it found this morsel:

But even the minority report says it found "substantial support" for Waxman's charge that Krongard routinely belittled employees or treated them harshly. "Several witnesses observed that the IG had a poor regard for government workers," the report says, noting that one said he went through several secretaries. One secretary simply did not show up for work and told others that she would not return to the front office, a witness testified.

"It was common knowledge not to speak in the staff meetings because he was heavy-handed," Patti Boyd, a former deputy assistant inspector general, told the committee staff. "People were actually afraid to say anything. So they actually said nothing." She added: "It was my observation that he disliked everyone."

It's official: embattled State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard will finally testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday.

Krongard, for the uninitiated, is the IG voted most likely to... not investigate waste, fraud and abuse. In September, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the oversight committee chairman, accused him of scuttling investigations into corruption in State activities and contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Matters got worse when Krongard's subordinates told Waxman that his aides threatened retaliation against them for going public. Condoleezza Rice promised that Krongard would answer the charges. The FBI got involved. It's a whole to-do.

Come Wednesday at 10 a.m., Krongard will get a chance to explain himself. As of last week, the hearing focused primarily on the whistleblower-protection question. Aides to the committee said last week that there were no preconditions to Krongard's testimony, and lo and behold, the title of the current hearing is now the broad-brush "Assessing the State Department Inspector General."

Can't wait for Wednesday? Check out the Mighty Justin Rood's newest piece on the State Department's allergy to accountability in Iraq and Afghanistan.