Bush Mafia in action: State Dept investigators threatened by the official they are investigating

Aides to State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard threatened
two investigators with retaliation this week if they cooperate with a
congressional probe into Krongard's office, the chairman of a House of
Representatives panel and other U.S. officials said Friday.

The allegations are the latest in a growing uproar surrounding
Krongard. Current and former officials in his office charge that he
impeded investigations into alleged arms smuggling by employees of the
private security firm Blackwater and into faulty construction of the
new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad .

The probe into Krongard's office is being led by Rep. Henry Waxman , D-
Calif., the chairman of the House oversight committee.

The two investigators said they were threatened with retaliation-
perhaps including losing their jobs- if they cooperated, Waxman said
in a letter to Krongard.

According to the letter, Krongard's congressional liaison told one of
the two, Special Agent Ronald A. Militana , "Howard can fire you. It
would affect your ability to get another job."

In a telephone interview, Militana confirmed that he's filed a
complaint with Waxman's panel and said the congressman's letter quoted
him accurately. He declined to comment further.

Militana and the other investigator, Assistant Special Agent in Charge
Brian Rubendall, were among those pressing for an investigation into
whether employees of Blackwater were illegally shipping automatic
weapons and other military goods to Iraq without a license. Rubendall
couldn't be reached for comment.

McClatchy Newspapers reported last week that two Blackwater employees
have pleaded guilty in Greenville, N.C. , to weapons charges and are
cooperating with federal officials.

Blackwater, which has received roughly $835 million in State
Department contracts, mostly to guard U.S. civilians in Iraq , is
under intense scrutiny after a series of violent incidents involving
its contractors. In the most recent, Blackwater teams were involved in
a shooting at a busy Baghdad traffic circle Sept.16 that killed 11
Iraqis.

According to an e-mail obtained by Waxman's committee, Krongard
intervened when federal prosecutors asked for help from his office in
investigating the Blackwater arms-smuggling allegations.


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