Blackwater Investigator's Brother Has Ties to Firm

State Dept. official steps aside after admitting "ugly rumors" are true
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 14, 2007 8:17 PM CST
Blackwater Investigator's Brother Has Ties to Firm
A private contractor gestures to their colleagues flying over in a helicopter as they secure the scene of a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq in this Tuesday, July 5, 2005 file photo. A top aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki conceded it may prove difficult for the Iraqi government to expel Western...   (Associated Press)

The State Department’s top official investigating Blackwater withdrew from the probe today after a dramatic admission that his brother has links to the private security contractor. At a congressional hearing, Howard Krongard initially called the alleged ties “ugly rumors,” but after a recess during which he called his brother, the independent internal investigator recused himself from the probe, Reuters reports.

The admission thwarted GOP attempts to defend Krongard. One Republican told him his brother, an ex-CIA official, has done him “tremendous damage.” Krongard became entangled in the Blackwater investigation after some of his staffers accused him of impeding probes into waste, fraud, and abuse in Iraq, and said he threatened them with retaliation if they cooperated with the congressional probe. (More State Department stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X