halliburton iraq deals described as contract abuse

[powwowdancer]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. Army procurement official said on Monday Halliburton's deals in
Iraq were the worst example of contract abuse she had seen as
Pentagon auditors flagged over $1 billion of potential overcharges by the Texas-based firm.

Bunny Greenhouse, the Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official-turned whistle-blower, said in testimony at a hearing by Democrats on Capitol Hill that "every aspect" of Halliburton's oil contract in Iraq had been under the control of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Click Here For The Whole Story

[mom cat]

1. auditors flagged over $1 billion of potential overcharges by the Texas-

based firm. That sure is a lot of Cat Food! Meow! :grr:
I'm sure glad that Bunny is on the job! She rocks!

[VegasWolf]

57. Time for Presidential pardons. nt

[Celebration]

2. Ugh and nominated

Big big deal needs to be made of this, ANYONE can relate to this

[Ysolde]

3. Forward this to everyone you know...

Even the hardcore Rethugs don't like Corporations like they used to. And, this is the angle we need to keep hammering on. Dems are for the people, pubs are for Corporations.

Recommended.

[burythehatchet]

4. Bunnies ROCK

[maddezmom]

5. kick and nomination for Bunny

:applause:

[AgadorSparticus]

6. Can't say I'm too surprised. These people are nothing but crooks.

The thing is, will anyone go to jail for this? Somehow I doubt it. But I can be wrong. I don't know why, but I still have a sliver of hope that justice will prevail. who knows....

[katinmn]

7. It's about damn time. Thanks, Bunny!

Democrats called for an urgent hearing and an investigation into what they said were contracting abuses involving KBR.

"This testimony doesn't just call for Congressional oversight -- it screams for it," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, a Democrat from North Dakota.

Thanks, powwowdancer. Nominated.

I'm also forwarding this to Sen. Coleman who chairs the subcommittee on investgations, but only acts when he can embarrass the UN. I will ask what his lame-ass excuse is this time.

[cosmicdot]

8. you go Bunny Greenhouse!

:kick:

[nomatrix]

9. Just posted this in GD

PBS Frontline Private Warriors will be broadcast on Wed. and the 4th of July. Excellent firsthand reporting on this very topic.

[maddezmom]

10. Knight Ridder: Official faults Halliburton subsidiary's Iraq contract

BY JEREMY BORDEN

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service


WASHINGTON - (KRT) - An official responsible for overseeing some of the U.S. government contracting in Iraq said Monday that the agency responsible for giving out those contracts had acted irresponsibly in awarding a contract to a Halliburton subsidiary.

"I can unequivocally state that the abuse related to contracts awarded to (Halliburton subsidiary) KBR (Kellogg Brown & Root) represents the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career," said Bunnatine "Bunny" Greenhouse, a U.S. Corps of Engineers' senior procurement official veteran with 20-years experience.

Greenhouse officially announced herself as a whistle-blower in a written statement before members of the Democratic Policy Committee. The hearing featured several witnesses who reported on Halliburton inconsistencies, which ranged from the delivery of its food services to how it was awarded contracts.

The Democrats issued a report saying the Defense Contract Audit Agency had found about $1 billion in "questioned" Halliburton costs and $442 million in "unsupported" costs.

more: http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/politics/11999334.htm

[maddezmom]

11. 1 billion in "questioned" Halliburton costs and $442 million in "unsupport

The Democrats issued a report saying the Defense Contract Audit Agency had found about $1 billion in "questioned" Halliburton costs and $442 million in "unsupported" costs.

Greenhouse charged that what should have been an independent process was compromised at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the agency in which she worked as a senior procurement executive overseeing government contracts. She said KRB had been given the contract unfairly because companies that determine the cost of the project are normally not allowed to bid on them. KBR was given the contract without competition, she said.

[Donailin]

12. they gave the troops rotten fucking food

EXPIRED food and overcharged the us taxpayer -- because that's our damned money they're stealing -- for four times the amount they actually prepared for the troops.

these people should burn in hell.

[niceypoo]

13. They are stealing money thats s'posed to feed our boys

and I bet republicans will sweep this under the rug chanting 'damn Amer'ka hate'n libruls' as they do so.

[burythehatchet]

14. her testimony is on the span2 now

[goclark]

41. Is that the African American lady?

I was half sleep and woke up to the TRUTH!

There was this majestic lady, blowing the whistle HARD on Halliburton.

I could not believe my ears!

Nominate this please.

[Twist_U_Up]

15. Rory Mayberry laying the Smack Down

former food manager blowing the lid off food service scandel by Halliburton higher ups

this is awesome

bet its never heard of again

[snot]

16. KICK --this deserves lots of coverage

[lyonn]

17. The Repubs won't /haven't investigated Halliburton's

contracts. Clinton was being investigated before he became Pres. and throughout his 8 years. This should be shocking but like so many other dirty dealings, Plame, DSM, etc., NADA from this administrations!

[leesa]

18. This was a good hearing...no wonder Cheney's hiding in the hospital

They very clearly rebutted his claim of not having any financial connection to Halliburton in the course of describing Halliburton's theft of 1+ billion.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. Is this the reason for all those damned halliburton commercials lately?

The ones that try to make the corp. sound progressive because they hired a woman engineer? :puke:

[w8liftinglady]

20. no coverage

..on any of the major networks or Drudge.I have e-mailed every editor and program director with links to the article and document,and asked them why they are sacrificing the welfare of our servicemen and women for the Halliburton thugs,and suggested they were being censored.We'll see.

[BadGimp]

21. Can't wait to hear Hannity chime in

[Algomas]

22. The Sopranos are in charge...

WTF is it going to take to wake up the American people???

[lyonn]

23. Also interesting, contractors delivering oil

and gas (I believe that is what they stated) to the Iraqis and to the refineries stated they had to supply parts and equipment to the site where they delivered the oil/gas to complete their delivery. Apparently Halliburton was not doing their job in maintaining and repairing well sites and refineries. They saw only one KBR man at any of the sites the entire time they were doing deliveries. KBR also manned the gates leaving Kuwait for Iraq and would cause serious delays by giving the truckers a hard time leaving Kuwait. They learned if they left at around 6:00 a.m. while the military manned the gates they could pass through quickly and get many more deliveres per day. KBR gave the workers of this contractor a hard time in many areas. I got the impression that KBR/Halliburton rules the roost in Iraq. They apparently are not maintaining or repairing the well and refineries which is what they were hired to do with our bucks.

[ngGale]

24. Good for Bunny ...

put that abuse out there, things are going so bad people just might listen and believe.

[maddezmom]

25. USA Today: Report questions over $1.4B of Halliburton bills

Halliburton has billed taxpayers more than $1.4 billion in questionable and unsupported charges for logistics and other services in Iraq, according to a Democratic congressional report released Monday. Citing newly released government audits, the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held its fifth hearing on Halliburton and chastised Republicans once again for not being tougher on the company Vice President Cheney led from 1995 until 2000.

"This testimony doesn't just call for congressional oversight; it screams for it," said Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D.


Jen Burita, a spokeswoman for Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Congress and government auditors have conducted nearly a dozen reports on Halliburton and that the panel "monitors very closely" the activities of the main U.S. contractor in Iraq.


Halliburton spokeswoman Cathy Mann called Democrats' statements "false" and noted that while every contractor faces audit questions, her company has been unfairly singled out. Only the political rhetoric has been inflated, she said in an e-mail, calling the figures a "gross mischaracterization."

more: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20050628/bs_usatoday/reportquestionsover14bofhalliburtonbills

[w8liftinglady]

26. Bump for today-still no mention of this in any MSM

No sign of this story on any of the "Big 4 " news websites...

[maddezmom]

27. MSNBC: Democrats criticize payments to KBR

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8381265/

[maddezmom]

28. ABC: Halliburton's Iraq deals described as contract abuse

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=887619

[jmcon007]

29. There's that one billion the VA was shorted by Bush in the budget.

[powwowdancer]

38. Absolutely!!

I just got back from the state convention this weekend. This is definitely on veterans minds. I almost posted a link where you can go to send emails to your congresspeople about this and other vets issues, (i.e., concurrent receipt and mandatory funding for the V.A.), but I remembered, (thank goodness), that it's not allowed! I'm still relatively new here, and I don't want to be a pain! If you'd like this info, send me a message.

powwowdancer out

[jmcon007]

I'd like this info.

I'm a veteran of Viet Nam. Because I am 100% disabled there's a probability that I would be one of the last affected by Bush's cuts in veterans funding, but that's not the point.
Every American should stand up for our veterans. I wrote a letter to the editor of my paper a couple of years ago stressing that funding for the VA should be listed as Mandatory spending, rather than discretionary.
If anyone wants to know how much someone truly cares about those who have fought the battles, check out the funding our government provides for the VA and learn about the months of waiting to see a doctor, etc.
This administration couldn't care less if a veteran is homeless and in need of help. Bush has already demonstrated that.
This has to change.

[jmcon007]

43. I'd like this info.

I'm a veteran of Viet Nam. Because I am 100% disabled there's a probability that I would be one of the last affected by Bush's cuts in veterans funding, but that's not the point.
Every American should stand up for our veterans. I wrote a letter to the editor of my paper a couple of years ago stressing that funding for the VA should be listed as Mandatory spending, rather than discretionary.
If anyone wants to know how much someone truly cares about those who have fought the battles, check out the funding our government provides for the VA and learn about the months of waiting to see a doctor, etc.
This administration couldn't care less if a veteran is homeless and in need of help. Bush has already demonstrated that.
This has to change.

[powwowdancer]

48. message sent...

Greetings,
I clicked on your message icon and sent the relevant data to you as a private message. Check your in box!

powwowdancer out.

[indepat]

30. Cripes, what's a frickin' billion dollars here and there?

[jmcon007]

32. This is true. We need to keep this thing in perspective. After all,

Paul Bremmer lost $9 billion in Iraq and nobody pitched a fit.

[indepat]

33. But inquiring minds wonder in whose coffers that $9 billion now reposes

[jmcon007]

46. I suspect it's pretty well spread out amongst the cronies and

I believe I know where a lot of it is. A little known fact is that practically all of the support staff for Paul Bremmer were relatives of Heritage Foundation folks.
My guess is that when they returned home their suitcases were stuffed with lots of cash.

[Roland99]

31. But they're helping to support the march of freedom. What price freedom?

:sarcasm:

[Karenina]

34. Kick!

:kick:

[wryter2000]

35. Vote the story up!

It's not doing well -- about 2.5 stars.

[Julius Civitatus]

36. No-bid contracts to Halliburton were part of REASON for the war (read on)

It's so easy to see, I really wonder why the press seem to avoid this one like a plague:

• VP Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton prior to the 2000 elections. As of today, he still gets deferred payment from them.
  
  
• The Bush/Cheney team strongly believes in privatization of everything public, and have a penchant for transferring huge amounts of public tax money to private companies in the form of private contracts.
  
  
• Conveniently a massive war of invasion of another country is started, and it requires all the expensive services that Halliburton and its subsidiaries offer. Massive no-bid contracts are offered to Halliburton, company that the sitting VP used to manage a few years ago.

If we saw this pattern in a third world country, we would be quickly calling it for what it is: CORRUPTION, illegal kick-backs, immoral oligopoly, mafia tactics, shameless cronyism.

So basically, this war has been a huge excuse to have Cheney and the Bush administration transfer BILLIONS of dollars of the public treasure treasure to their cronies (and indirectly to themselves in the form of deferred payments, political contributions, favors, etc.)

I do believe the war has served the double purpose to get that Iraqi oil, and excuse the massive transfer of tax money to a handful of private hands. Corruption to the highest power.

:rant:

[tinrobot]

37. It's also why they don't seem to give a shit...

...about actually winning this war.

I mean seriously, a 12 year long war is just 12 more years of fat profits for Halliburton.

[Julius Civitatus]

40. That's right!

Winning or not, it really doesn't matter to them. It's about keeping the money register singing "ka-ching, ka-ching!" Twelve year war? That's twelve years of unprecedented profits for Halliburton.

It doesn't matter to these people if the soldiers keep getting blown into pieces or the insurgency grows to intolerable levels. It just means more contracts, more money flowing to Halliburton, KBR, Bechtel, etc.

The war on terror seems to be one increadible business opportunity for the military industrial complex.

:yoiks:

[The_Casual_Observer]

39. Due to the arrangements, this was bound to happen.

[w8liftinglady]

42. kick

[Just Me]

44. Hmmmm,...sounds like,...F-R-A-U-D,...doncha' think?

$1,000,000,000,000 IN OVERCHARGES!!!!

Damn!!! Someone's getting filty rich, huh!!! :eyes:

[lovuian]

45. Where O Where did the Money go???

Haliburton the Cheney trust fund!!!

[marzipanni]

47. The END$$$ justify the means

$trau$$ian, doncha' know

[melissinha]

49. The best testimony at the hearing was

from the two guys from Lloyd Owen... they said that they charge 18 cents per gallon for the same service that KBR charges $1.30 ... now that is a sobering argument for HIGHWAY ROBBERY.. they even calculated that the larger infrastructure of KBR could maybe account for double their price which is 36 cents....

[Massachusetts]

50. "halliburton iraq deals described as contract abuse"

American citizens SCREWED once again by the politicians that are supposed to be "looking out" for our best interests.

When will the majority of citizens get it?

[silver10]

51. A war started by a VP with sweet deals and connections

to the defense contractor he formally was CEO of, now blatant thefts and soldier abuse?

Where's the outrage by the American public, by the righteous Christians?

It's OK, because he didn't get a BJ!!! That kind of scandal would have the Right foaming at the mouth - but only if it had been given to a Dem in office.

Cheney et al should roast in hell - but first, should be kicked out of office, stuck in a room in Gitmo or Abu Graib, and forced to eat Hellaburnin supplied food.

[Semi_subversive]

52. I'm a government contracting/procurement official

and I can assure that 99.9% of the folks in my or similar positions would do the same thing that Ms. Greenhouse is doing. We are very protective of the integrity of the process and know we have the law on our side. Whenever the process has been corrupted, it's almost always because someone in power has gone around us. I have no problem advising the higher-ups that we "can't do that!" But, it's always conditioned with "If we do it this way, then we will keep it between the lines and off the front page of the paper."

One of the contributors to the downfall of Gray Davis was the Oracle fiasco. They went around the folks that were telling them "no". Too bad this won't have a similar impact on * and Cheney/Satan.

[PegDAC]

53. So Am I

and I'm ashamed that my higher HQ awarded these pigs the contract, approved the invoices, AND gave them $72 million in bonuses (Award Fee). If it had been one of us peons, we would have been out of a job and in jail before we were aware of where we were.

x( :yoiks:

[Semi_subversive]

54. Amen to that!

[LightningFlash]

55. Well well well....

Looks like Lautenberg, DeWine, Sheila Jackson Lee hit the motherlode of abuse scandals.

[David Zephyr]

56. Our poor soldiers are dying so these War Profiteers can get rich.

And I am urging everyone to please always use the term "War Profiteer" in front of any post or mention of Duke Cunningham's name.