DoD Inspector General Resigns -- What does this mean?

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Amy Weiss

Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General Claude "Mick" Kicklighter resigned this week after only a year in the position and accepted a position at George Mason University School of Law as director of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Program.

A press release from the university quoted Kicklighter saying, "I'm quite honored to be joining Mason and the Critical Infrastructure Protection Program ... The program has a great mission that is vital to the security of our nation"- which almost begs the question: How was your last job, maintaining oversight for the Department of Defense, not a "great mission" or "vital to the security of our nation?"

Before and after his Senate confirmation in 2007, Kicklighter was relatively unknown and uncontroversial. It seems only Rolling Stone questioned his qualifications for the position. After his predecessor, Joseph Schmitz, quit to become an executive for Blackwater, Rolling Stone reporter Tom Dickinson said:

Lt. Gen. Claude "Mick" Kicklighter, isn't likely to be any tougher on fraud and waste in the administration. A Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz loyalist, Kicklighter previously served in an administration post that has become virtually synonymous with fraud and waste: The general was in charge of transforming the Coalition Provisional Authority in its final days into the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), a strong critic of Kicklighter's Blackwater-destined predecessor, praised Kicklighter's work in the position:

He has been instrumental in beginning to turn the office in a new direction. I very much appreciate his willingness to try and create a transparent and open environment in a place that has a history of poor management and appears to know very little about its role within the Department of Defense.

Kicklighter conducted an investigation into abuse and fraud in Iraq and elsewhere overseas which found that billions of dollars in defense contracts were not properly accounted for-leaving potentially millions in criminal charges.

In June 2008, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chair Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent a letter to Kicklighter thanking him for his cooperation and asking for additional help pursuing criminal fraud cases. According to Waxman's letter, the DOD failed to acknowledge the findings of Kicklighter's report.

So, is Kicklighter just a Bush neocon who got a better offer? An Inspector General who did too much actual investigating and was pressured to resign? A man frustrated with the overwhelming task of identifying and pursuing fraud in the Bush Administration and not being taken seriously? Tell us what you think- but hey, at least he's not going to Blackwater.

Check out our story on Waxman's investigation.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

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