Bush Administration keeps Justice off whistleblowers

The Boston Globe, Farah Stockman reports that the Bush administration seems to have a policy preventing Justice Department staff from investigating allegations of fraud and corruption among the companies at the trough for work in Iraq.

The Justice Department has opted out of at least 10 whistle-blower lawsuits alleging fraud and corruption in government reconstruction and security contracts in Iraq, and has spent years investigating additional fraud cases but has yet to try to recover any money.

A congressional subcommittee heard testimony on the matter yesterday, as lawmakers sought to determine why the federal government has not done more to recover tens of millions of dollars that allegedly have been misused or misspent in Iraq.

"I would expect, given the talent that the Justice Department has available to it, . . . that they could have done more," Representative William D. Delahunt, Democrat of Quincy, said at the hearing. "I have the uneasy feeling like we're missing something here, a potential substantial recovery."

The government's reluctance to join in any of the civil suits has sparked allegations of political interference.

I hope it blows up big -- I am so outraged!