December 13, 2007
For Immediate Release: December 14, 2007
(Washington, DC) – In the wake of allegations of overspending and mismanagement by Special Inspector General for Iraq (SIGIR) Stuart W. Bowen Jr., a former Bush legal adviser assigned to probe claims of waste and fraud in the U.S. occupation of Iraq, Congresswomen Barbara Lee (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) released the following reactions:
“These allegations are extremely troubling and ironic when you consider that this entity was created to expose mismanagement and misconduct of US taxpayer funds, but are now themselves under investigation,” said Congresswoman Lee, co-chair of the Progressive Caucus and a co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus who sits on the State Foreign Operations sub-committee of the House Appropriations committee. “There is a pattern of war profiteering that, frankly, has marked the Bush administration's occupation of Iraq that cannot be ignored. This republican administration has spent over $22 billion dollars, apparently for reconstruction, but clearly has no oversight or accountability for the funds. The Bush administration must be held accountable for ensuring there is a thorough investigation and that any wrongdoing is made public and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This is a classic example of the fox guarding the henhouse,” said Woolsey, the co-chair of the Progressive Caucus and a co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “These allegations raise the real possibility that some of the very people who are supposed to be providing oversight of the President’s no-bid Halliburton sweetheart deals, and others, are the ones who need to be supervised in the first place, and Congress must exercise our role in overseeing them. President Bush has already spent over $500 billion in taxpayer funds on his unjust occupation of Iraq, which breaks down to roughly $20,000 for every family in America. He owes it to each and every one of them to come clean and account for every dollar.”
“The allegations of mismanagement against the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) are troubling,” said Rep. Waters, Chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus. “The fact that SIGIR’s work is so vital to Congress’s oversight of the reconstruction process in Iraq makes it that much more important that an investigation be conducted, and any wrongdoing be appropriately handled.”
Contacts:
Cleve Mesidor (Lee) 202.225.2661, cleve.Mesidor@mail.house.gov
Chris Shields (Woolsey) 202.225.5161, chris.shields@mail.house.gov
Mikael Moore (Waters) 202.225.2201, Mikael.Moore@mail.house.gov
Progressive Leaders Outraged Over Allegations of Misconduct by Iraq Inspector General
Joint Press Release: U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters & Lynn WoolseyFor Immediate Release: December 14, 2007
(Washington, DC) – In the wake of allegations of overspending and mismanagement by Special Inspector General for Iraq (SIGIR) Stuart W. Bowen Jr., a former Bush legal adviser assigned to probe claims of waste and fraud in the U.S. occupation of Iraq, Congresswomen Barbara Lee (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) released the following reactions:
“These allegations are extremely troubling and ironic when you consider that this entity was created to expose mismanagement and misconduct of US taxpayer funds, but are now themselves under investigation,” said Congresswoman Lee, co-chair of the Progressive Caucus and a co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus who sits on the State Foreign Operations sub-committee of the House Appropriations committee. “There is a pattern of war profiteering that, frankly, has marked the Bush administration's occupation of Iraq that cannot be ignored. This republican administration has spent over $22 billion dollars, apparently for reconstruction, but clearly has no oversight or accountability for the funds. The Bush administration must be held accountable for ensuring there is a thorough investigation and that any wrongdoing is made public and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This is a classic example of the fox guarding the henhouse,” said Woolsey, the co-chair of the Progressive Caucus and a co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “These allegations raise the real possibility that some of the very people who are supposed to be providing oversight of the President’s no-bid Halliburton sweetheart deals, and others, are the ones who need to be supervised in the first place, and Congress must exercise our role in overseeing them. President Bush has already spent over $500 billion in taxpayer funds on his unjust occupation of Iraq, which breaks down to roughly $20,000 for every family in America. He owes it to each and every one of them to come clean and account for every dollar.”
“The allegations of mismanagement against the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) are troubling,” said Rep. Waters, Chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus. “The fact that SIGIR’s work is so vital to Congress’s oversight of the reconstruction process in Iraq makes it that much more important that an investigation be conducted, and any wrongdoing be appropriately handled.”
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Contacts:
Cleve Mesidor (Lee) 202.225.2661, cleve.Mesidor@mail.house.gov
Chris Shields (Woolsey) 202.225.5161, chris.shields@mail.house.gov
Mikael Moore (Waters) 202.225.2201, Mikael.Moore@mail.house.gov