Watchdog: Legal Aid Head Misled Congress

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Watchdog: Legal Aid Head Misled Congress

By LARRY MARGASAK
Tuesday, June 19, 2007; 6:05 PM

WASHINGTON -- The president of the government's legal
aid program misled Congress when she denied that her first-
class airfare to a conference in Ireland saddled the program
with excessive costs, an internal report has concluded.

The inspector general for the Legal Services Corp., Kirt West,
said he regarded the misleading statements seriously enough
that he began discussions with the Justice Department about
a criminal investigation.

West said he dropped the idea because he could not prove
the organization's president, Helaine Barnett, knew at the
time that her statements were inaccurate even though her
husband and her top assistant were involved in upgrading
her tickets.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/19/AR2007061901066.html