Howard Krongard
Encyclopedia
Howard J. "Cookie" Krongard (born December 12, 1940), was an appointee in the government of President George W. Bush
. Krongard was head of the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State
. His position was known as the State Inspector General or State IG. After being accused of averting probes into contracting fraud in Iraq
and a possible conflict of interest regarding investigations into Blackwater Worldwide
, Krongard left his post on January 15, 2008, and was not eligible for retirement.
.
He graduated in 1961 with a degree in history from Princeton University
, and was a First Team All-America
n goaltender in lacrosse
at Princeton, which earned him a place in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He graduated from Harvard Law School
in 1964, then did postgraduate work at Cambridge University from 1964 to 1965.
charged Krongard with actively impeding probes into waste and corruption related to the war in Iraq and other matters. In a three page followup letter issued on September 28, 2007, Waxman informed Krongard that allegations of witness intimidation had been made against Krongard's staff.
Aides to Krongard threatened two U.S. State Department investigators with retaliation, including termination of their jobs, if they cooperated with the investigations into Blackwater USA
and Krongard, according to a report released by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Krongard directly interfered with federal prosecutors when they asked his office for help with investigating possible Blackwater arms smuggling. In an e-mail, he wrote, to his staff,
That was sent to a subordinate on July 11, 2007, and was disclosed by Waxman's Congressional investigation, who revealed the e-mails. Krongard denied this, however.
On November 14, 2007, Krongard testified to Congress, regarding his brother,
However, when confronted with a July 26 letter from Blackwater founder and CEO Erik Prince
to A.B. Krongard asking him to join Blackwater's advisory board, followed by a September 5 letter welcoming Krongard to the board and a report from Rep. Elijah Cummings
stating that A.B. Krongard had been expected to attend a Blackwater board meeting earlier that week, Then he had called his brother during the ensuing break in the hearings and learned of this conflict of interest
for the first time, saying "I'm not my brother's keeper, and we don't discuss our business with each other".
He then recused himself from the investigation.
Democrats on the committee argued that this had a negative impact on Krongard's credibility, which also cast doubt on his denials of the accusations of interfering with Justice Department investigations of Blackwater and other State Department contractors.
Committee chairman Henry Waxman
issued a memorandum summarizing the discrepancies between the two brothers' recollections of what they told each other.
Most of the allegations have been denounced – by the minority members of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and by some numbskulls at the Wall Street Journal – as pure partisan politics.
for over 30 years, and has a son and a daughter.
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Krongard was head of the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State
Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State
is an independent office within the U.S. Department of State with a primary responsibility to prevent and detect waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement...
. His position was known as the State Inspector General or State IG. After being accused of averting probes into contracting fraud in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and a possible conflict of interest regarding investigations into Blackwater Worldwide
Blackwater Worldwide
Xe Services LLC, better known by its former names, Blackwater USA and Blackwater Worldwide, is a private military company founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark.. Xe is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors...
, Krongard left his post on January 15, 2008, and was not eligible for retirement.
Early life
Krongard was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He is the brother of former CIA Executive Director A. B. KrongardA. B. Krongard
Alvin Bernard "Buzzy" Krongard was the Executive Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He was appointed by George Tenet on March 16, 2001....
.
He graduated in 1961 with a degree in history from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and was a First Team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n goaltender in lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
at Princeton, which earned him a place in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He graduated from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1964, then did postgraduate work at Cambridge University from 1964 to 1965.
Legal
- From 1989 to 1996, Krongard was a lawyer with Deloitte & Touche and its predecessor firm Deloitte Haskins & Sells prior to its combination with Touche Ross & Co.
- From 1996 to 2005, Krongard was a lawyer with Freshfields Bruckhaus DeringerFreshfields Bruckhaus DeringerFreshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a global law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom and a member of the 'Magic Circle' of leading English law firms. It is the second-largest law firm in the world measured by revenues. In 2010-11 it achieved total revenues of £1.14 billion and profits...
.
Government
- Krongard has been the Inspector General of the Department of State since May 2, 2005. He announced his resignation on December 7, 2007.
State Department probes
In a 14-page letter on September 18, 2007, House Oversight Committee chairman Henry WaxmanHenry Waxman
Henry Arnold Waxman is the U.S. Representative for , serving in Congress since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is considered to be one of the most influential liberal members of Congress...
charged Krongard with actively impeding probes into waste and corruption related to the war in Iraq and other matters. In a three page followup letter issued on September 28, 2007, Waxman informed Krongard that allegations of witness intimidation had been made against Krongard's staff.
Aides to Krongard threatened two U.S. State Department investigators with retaliation, including termination of their jobs, if they cooperated with the investigations into Blackwater USA
Blackwater Worldwide
Xe Services LLC, better known by its former names, Blackwater USA and Blackwater Worldwide, is a private military company founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark.. Xe is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors...
and Krongard, according to a report released by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Krongard directly interfered with federal prosecutors when they asked his office for help with investigating possible Blackwater arms smuggling. In an e-mail, he wrote, to his staff,
is directed to stop IMMEDIATELY any work on these contracts until I receive a briefing from the (assistant U.S. attorney) regarding the details of this investigation. SA Militana, ASAIC Rubendall and any others involved are to be directed by you not to proceed in any manner until the briefing takes place,
That was sent to a subordinate on July 11, 2007, and was disclosed by Waxman's Congressional investigation, who revealed the e-mails. Krongard denied this, however.
On November 14, 2007, Krongard testified to Congress, regarding his brother,
I can tell you, very frankly, I am not aware of any financial interest or position he has with respect to Blackwater. When these ugly rumors started recently, I specifically asked him. I do not believe it is true that he is a member of the advisory board that you stated. And that's something I think I need to say.
However, when confronted with a July 26 letter from Blackwater founder and CEO Erik Prince
Erik Prince
Erik Dean Prince is the founder and formerly the sole owner of the private military company Xe Services LLC, formerly Blackwater Worldwide. On March 2, 2009, Prince announced that he was stepping down as CEO of Xe. He is currently living abroad in the United Arab Emirates, where he is creating a...
to A.B. Krongard asking him to join Blackwater's advisory board, followed by a September 5 letter welcoming Krongard to the board and a report from Rep. Elijah Cummings
Elijah Cummings
Elijah Eugene Cummings is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1996. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes just over half of Baltimore City, as well as most of Howard County...
stating that A.B. Krongard had been expected to attend a Blackwater board meeting earlier that week, Then he had called his brother during the ensuing break in the hearings and learned of this conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
for the first time, saying "I'm not my brother's keeper, and we don't discuss our business with each other".
He then recused himself from the investigation.
Democrats on the committee argued that this had a negative impact on Krongard's credibility, which also cast doubt on his denials of the accusations of interfering with Justice Department investigations of Blackwater and other State Department contractors.
Committee chairman Henry Waxman
Henry Waxman
Henry Arnold Waxman is the U.S. Representative for , serving in Congress since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is considered to be one of the most influential liberal members of Congress...
issued a memorandum summarizing the discrepancies between the two brothers' recollections of what they told each other.
Most of the allegations have been denounced – by the minority members of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and by some numbskulls at the Wall Street Journal – as pure partisan politics.
Personal life
Howard Krongard lived in Upper Montclair, New JerseyUpper Montclair, New Jersey
Upper Montclair is northern Montclair, which is usually reckoned as everything north of Watchung Avenue. Upper Montclair takes up approximately one third of Montclair, New Jersey-Education:...
for over 30 years, and has a son and a daughter.