Pentagon Seeks Further Halliburton Probe

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Pentagon auditors have called for a further investigation into possible overcharging in Iraq by Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, a defense official said Wednesday.

The Defense Contract Audit Agency asked the Pentagon's inspector general to investigate Halliburton, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Auditors determined last month that a Halliburton subsidiary may have overcharged the military by $61 million for gasoline delivered to civilians in Iraq.

(snip)

The call for investigation by the inspector general's office indicates DCAA auditors found indications of wrongdoing that go beyond accounting mistakes. The official who discussed the DCAA request for a further probe said he did not know why the auditors wanted a follow-up investigation.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3626435,00.html

[goforit]

1. Didn't the Pentagon just pat them on the head saying it was OK?

I'm confused.

[aquart]

3. Me, too.

Didn't the whitewash take the first time?

[Gman]

2. Someone didn't read their email

from Cheney.

[pansypoo53219]

4. maybe since their old man is VP

they have stepped up the profiteering past even what the army is willing to tolerate.

[NJCher]

5. hmmm, here's my take on it

Oh yes, we definitely heard that everything was hunky-dory and Halliburton was blame-free. I recall how odd that seemed, like out of the blue. And so fast, too. But there was something that just didn't seem right about it.

My read on it would be that there was a preliminary investigation that someone in the WH spun into a final investigation. If you read this paragraph from the article:

The call for investigation by the inspector general's office indicates DCAA auditors found indications of wrongdoing that go beyond accounting mistakes. The official who discussed the DCAA request for a further probe said he did not know why the auditors wanted a follow-up investigation.

So it sounds like the preliminary investigation found a few accounting mistakes. A WH PR flak, in damage-control mode, spun the preliminary into something it wasn't. In reality, the investigation was not over.


Cher

[stickdog]

6. If you don't follow your marching orders, son,

you'll be getting them soon.

[Just Me]

7. *yawn*,...just going through the motions of appeasement,...

,...nothing of substance here. We know how this game is played and who the referees are.