White House launches investigation against thorn in Bush’s side

May 3, 2007

This story doesn’t appear to be generating much attention, but it might be one of the day’s most intriguing political items.

The inspector general who uncovered cases of waste, fraud and abuse in the U.S.-led reconstruction effort in Iraq is under investigation by a presidential panel, according to the White House.

Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, is under investigation after complaints were made by former employees about his work habits and work he required employees to perform. The investigation is headed by the integrity committee of the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency, which is made up of inspectors general appointed by the president.

According to the complaints filed against Bowen, he had problems with absenteeism and inappropriately asked employees in his office to help him compile information on a book about Iraq reconstruction, which they allege pulled them away from audits.

Are the accusations true? I haven’t the foggiest idea; I wasn’t there and I don’t know any of these people personally. Maybe the charges have merit; maybe not.

The interesting part of this, however, is that the White House is suddenly concerned about launching internal investigations at the first hint of mild wrongdoing. When White House officials leaked classified information, the Bush gang not only took literally no action, they even blew off federal regulations that required a thorough probe.

But when the guy who has helped expose breathtaking fraud and abuse in Iraqi construction gets accused of some pretty minor offenses, the White House leaps into action, assuring everyone of a thorough investigation. What a coincidence.

As regular readers know, I’ve been an admirer of Bowen’s work in Iraq. He’s about the only administration official in Iraq, outside the military, that’s been effective in his or her job.

Bowen monitors the spending of $22 billion appropriated by Congress for Iraq relief and reconstruction. His office provides quarterly reports on the program and lists any fraud or abuse found by investigators.

In his latest report, released Monday, Bowen credited his office with having conducted 307 investigations. He also said that Iraq was still plagued by power failures, inadequate oil production, shortages of clean water and health-care problems. In the most recent quarter, his inspectors reviewed eight projects and found that seven of them were not well maintained and may not function as well or as long as planned.

The reality is, Bowen has been a bulldog on fraud and abuse in Iraq, exposing corruption and shining a bright light on mismanagement.

His office “opened 27 new criminal probes in the last quarter [of 2006], bringing the total number of active cases to 78. Twenty-three are awaiting prosecutorial action by the Justice Department, most of them centering on charges of bribery and kickbacks.” Indeed, Bowen is the only guy in the administration who actively targeted Halliburton contracts.

And it’s been driving the White House crazy. The Bush gang wanted Bowen to go to Iraq and be just another lackey, sticking to the Rove script. Indeed, when Bowen was tapped for the job in January 2004, it seemed like a typical set-up job for the Bush gang: the president needed to respond to criticism about corruption and mismanagement, but instead of asking an independent voice to begin serious oversight, Bush chose Bowen, a loyal friend, senior member of Bush’s gubernatorial campaign team in 1994, a Bush attorney during the Florida recount debacle in 2000, and an associate counsel in Bush’s White House. For Dems hoping for a strong, independent voice to exercise real oversight of Iraqi reconstruction, Bowen’s resume offered little encouragement.

But Bowen decided to take his responsibilities seriously — so much so that the White House at one point tried to fire him. (Congress saved his job.)

And now, at the very suggestion of possible (and mild) wrongdoing, the White House initiates an internal investigation, when more serious internal offenses have gone by with no scrutiny at all.

You don’t suppose this investigation into Bowen might be some kind of political payback, do you?

I can see where actually requiring Bush administration employees to do some work might generate complaints from them.

  • I wonder when this investigation started. Was it before or after the new Congress? Is the administration as brazen as ever in its actions, even with its current problems with the DOJ? Or does this investigation pre-date the new Congress and the meltdown regarding the US Attorneys?

  • The article talks about long absences………. in 2004! Who knows, maybe Bowen took off as much time from work as Bush did that year.

    Regardless, for the Administration to wait three years to nail this guy is totally in character – first, they take a long time to investigate; and, second, they go after the only effective civilian manager they’ve ever had in Iraq.

    finally, it’s ironic that the only civilian who can give useful lessons about his experiences is the subject of an investigation for writing about those experiences. You’d figure that with his successes, the White House would encourage him to write tht book. But then, we’re talking about the Bush White House.

  • The reality is, Bowen has been a bulldog on fraud and abuse in Iraq, exposing corruption and shining a bright light on mismanagement. You don’t suppose this investigation into Bowen might be some kind of political payback, do you? – Mr. CB

    A little retribution with a side of smear.

  • President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency???? now that’s an oxymoron……..

  • just bill wrote: “President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency???? now that’s an oxymoron……..”

    We’re really #&@%ed when Bush starts a “President’s Council on Maintaining a Democratic System of Government”…

  • Remember when Rep. Duncan Hunter slipped a provision that would have abolished Bowen’s office into a huge military spending bill last November? This investigation is just the next chapter in the “Get Stuart Bowen” saga.

    Bowen is about the only person I admire in the Bush administration and I wrote about him being one of my heros in the TPM Cafe a few months ago.

    Has anyone ever even heard of the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency before yesterday?

  • And of course Bush’s best friend ever, Clay Johnson III, is chairman of the council conducting the “investigation”. I’m sure he’ll be very impartial.

    But what’s up with this:

    …Former employees filed complaints last year about Bowen not showing up for work for long periods of time in 2004, according to a former employee who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation…

    How the hell would Bowen retaliate against a former employee?

    Here’s an interesting tidbit I found (at the foul NewsMax) while googling Bush’s buddy Clay Johnson III:

    Analyzing why Bush makes his trademark smirk or half smile, a gesture that many take as a sign of arrogance, Johnson says it’s a manifestation of Bush’s inability to act or pretend.

    “He’s a bad actor, a bad pretender,” Johnson told me. “He doesn’t get up and say, ‘one and one is two’ unless he really knows it’s two. What you see is what you get. So when you see him working that lip or showing discomfort, he can’t act that away. It means he’s bored or perturbed. A real actor would not show that.”

    http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/8/7/180125.shtml

  • Geez, I always thougth smirking was the sign or self-satisfied ass who couldn’t contain his contempt for everyone around him because he knew he was just feeding them a huge helping of crap and that they’d gobble it right up. But if a guy with three I’s after his cowboy name says so, then it must be a sign of integrity and efficiency.

  • I’m guessing somebody has to confirm that ‘one and one is two’ for Dubya before he says it. He certainly wouldn’t be able to know that on his own.

    But based on Clay the Cowboy’s example, I would say Dubya has been either been bored or perturbed the majority of his two terms…

  • WTF….This is big. This is the only guy standing up against the corruption and greed of the contractors in Iraq. Hopefully there will be a way for congress to protect him from an obvious attempt to silence his investigations. Bush and company have figured out a way to disrupt on going investigations and still voices of dissent and that is by starting “internal” investigations of their own with loyal Bushies where they can control the timing and release of info. Stalling and impeding, delaying and complicating all in the name of Justice…Bush justice.
    The corruption of War reconstruction is the number one reason Iraq remains a disaster. You can’t continue to rape a country and expect them to trust you or even respect you. These are war profiteers whose only concern is money and the Iraqis have seen this greed and corruption for 5yrs. now. Better to let the Madhi army rebuild Iraq than the Americans. At least unemployment would go down.

  • According to the complaints filed against Bowen, he had problems with absenteeism and inappropriately asked employees in his office to help him compile information on a book about Iraq reconstruction, which they allege pulled them away from audits.

    I think that bit in bold may explain the late interest in Mr. Bowen’s alleged shortcomings. This investigation may be an attempt to stop the publication of his book. Just a guess.

  • This is simply a strategy to “control” the investigation and avoid having to answer questions by from someone who isn’t a White House stooge.

  • Is “the book” simply the list of wrongdoing in Iraq that has grown so thick as to acquire the moniker of “book?”

    Stuart Bowen is a brave man. To aspire to competence and honesty in an administration that is anything but is worthy of distinction. Maybe we can strip Paul Bremer of his Medal of Freedom and give to Bowen instead. Bowen actually earned it.

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