Iraq Spending Ignored Rules, Pentagon Says

Source: NYTimes

A Pentagon audit of $8.2 billion in American taxpayer money spent by the United States Army on contractors in Iraq has found that almost none of the payments followed federal rules and that in some cases, contracts worth millions of dollars were paid for despite little or no record of what, if anything, was received.

The audit also found a sometimes stunning lack of accountability in the way the United States military spent some $1.8 billion in seized or frozen Iraqi assets, which in the early phases of the conflict were often doled out in stacks or pallets of cash. The audit was released Thursday in tandem with a Congressional hearing on the payments.

In one case, according to documents displayed by Pentagon auditors at the hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, a cash payment of $320.8 million in Iraqi money was authorized on the basis of a single signature and the words “Iraqi Salary Payment” on an invoice. In another, $11.1 million of taxpayer money was paid to IAP, an American contractor, on the basis of a voucher with no indication of what was delivered.

Mary L. Ugone, the Pentagon’s deputy inspector general for auditing, told members of the committee that the absence of anything beyond a voucher meant that “we were giving or providing a payment without any basis for the payment.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/23/world/middleeast/23audit.html?hp

"And besides, our republicon Praetorian Guard 'contractors' deserve to make a Massive War Profit as much as any other republicon crony. Smirk."

- Commander AWOL

they need to be recalled.If you or I pulled even half of this shit we would be in prison. THINK what could have been done with this money. SOMEBODY NEEDS to be held accountable. What a damn mess this country is in.

Squandering War Hogs?
Spendthrift Republicans?

That's exactly what they are. Historical data confirms it.

- Indeed.

Of course I don't expect that anything will come of this. At least not until after January 2009. If then...

K&R

Why do republicons always rip off America?

...no one's shown the ability or willingness to stop them?

every newsroom, every corporation and every other organization that used to support the actions of the Republicons, neocons and BFEE are beginning to come forward and tell what they know of the wrongdoing or to stand up against what they know is illegal and expose it?

It is my opinion that the lawlessness will soon come to an end. We are sick to death of it and even their former fans have finally realized that the end result will be a decimated, powerless and utterly destroyed U.S.A..

I'm hoping the backlash will be harsh and beautiful.

and audit the Pentagon budget, apparently. I like how they 'found' rules were not followed with little or no record. I really don't buy it, in fact I do not trust anyone who 'can't find' billions of dollars. This is the Pentagon, full of the most anal retentive detail oriented paperwork laden people on the planet and somehow they can't find.....nevermind.