Army General Lies to Congress and Protects War Profiteer, KBR
Why would an Army general lie to Congress and provide cover for KBR? Because he can do so with impunity, can protect the Bush-Cheney corporate crony war profiteers with no adverse consequences, and doesn't give a damn about the troops.
From Mother Jones (via Cursor.org): "When Major Gen. Jerome Johnson appeared under oath before a congressional committee last year, he told enough untruths about KBR's work for the military that the US Army took the unusual step of retracting a portion of his testimony. Now it appears that Johnson also misled members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on another KBR-related matter: its provisioning of potentially contaminated water to US troops in Iraq.
"Nearly three months ago Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), chair of the Democratic Policy Committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the subject of Johnson's testimony, but he has yet to received a reply. 'This was either an attempt by General Johnson to deliberately deceive the Congress, or a display of negligent disregard for facts,' Dorgan wrote in the March 12 letter. 'I hope you will review this matter and take appropriate action.'
"[T]he [Defense] department has not paid KBR the $100 million for the trailers," Johnson told Levin. "As a matter of fact, KBR's cost is still suspended." Johnson when on to say that the DOD document from which Levin drew his information was "inaccurate." But it was Johnson who didn't have his facts straight.
"More than seven months passed before the Army acknowledged Johnson's misstatement.
"Overlooked entirely, though, was a different part of Johnson's testimony, in which he claimed the Army was unaware of reports that KBR had also been supplying military bases with contaminated water. Because of this, a 2006 investigation by Dorgan's policy committee found, soldiers had unwittingly bathed and brushed their teeth using bacteria-ridden water. The committee's findings prompted Dorgan to request an investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general.
"Johnson even denied that KBR had anything to do with the provision of water to troops at the base. "KBR was not operating the water site," he told the panel.
"But this March, when the inspector general's office released its report, investigators noted that the Pentagon had been notified on March 31, 2007—three weeks before Johnson's testimony—of KBR's role in providing polluted water to military bases, which 'may have degraded to the point of causing waterborne illnesses among US forces.'
"Investigators found that KBR was indeed in control of water quality at Camp Ar-Ramadi, and that at three of four US bases subject to inspection—including Ar-Ramadi—KBR had shirked its contractual obligation to test the water it supplied.
"At a meeting with reporters last month, Dorgan described his efforts to uncover the extent of the unsanitary water conditions at US bases in Iraq in the face of denials from both the Army and its contractor, KBR. 'It's clear everyone was lying, including [Gen. Johnson], who came to the Senate committee and deceived the committee,' Dorgan said.
What are the consequences for lying to Congress under oath, Senator Dorgan? Obviously, none since "Johnson now serves as deputy chief of staff at the US Army Forces Command in Fort McPherson, Georgia."
It seems that the US Army has also been politicized by the Bush administration and ignores and defies the Congress and all Senator Dorgan can do is complain to the press.
Johnson and his ilk should have been demoted and fired, at the very least. Lying to Congress is a criminal offense.
In addition Johnson and the rest of the senior command who ignored or tried to cover up the contaminated water scandal should be relieved of their commands, demoted, court martialed, or fired. Their protection of KBR and abrogation of responsibility for US troops is despicable.
A high level, lucrative position probably awaits Johnson at KBR.
Which also begs the question: what is wrong with the so called Democratic controlled Congress that they allow this legislative branch of government, to be treated so disdainfully by Bush's military and civilian Pentagon flunkies?
Where was the senators' sense of responsibility to the American people that they allowed this general and Defense Secretary Gates to disrespect, disregard, and defy the Congress; the general lying under oath, and Gates ignoring senatorial requests for explanation and accountable action, with no repercussions?
From Mother Jones (via Cursor.org): "When Major Gen. Jerome Johnson appeared under oath before a congressional committee last year, he told enough untruths about KBR's work for the military that the US Army took the unusual step of retracting a portion of his testimony. Now it appears that Johnson also misled members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on another KBR-related matter: its provisioning of potentially contaminated water to US troops in Iraq.
"Nearly three months ago Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), chair of the Democratic Policy Committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the subject of Johnson's testimony, but he has yet to received a reply. 'This was either an attempt by General Johnson to deliberately deceive the Congress, or a display of negligent disregard for facts,' Dorgan wrote in the March 12 letter. 'I hope you will review this matter and take appropriate action.'
"In April 2007, Johnson, then the commanding general of the US Army Sustainment Command, which is responsible for providing food, lodging, and a range of logistical support to the troops, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee to answer questions about the Pentagon's primary logistics contract in Iraq. During the hearing, the committee's chairman, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), alleged that the Army had reimbursed KBR, then a Halliburton subsidiary, for the cost of overpriced trailers the company had purchased through a subcontractor.
"[T]he [Defense] department has not paid KBR the $100 million for the trailers," Johnson told Levin. "As a matter of fact, KBR's cost is still suspended." Johnson when on to say that the DOD document from which Levin drew his information was "inaccurate." But it was Johnson who didn't have his facts straight.
"More than seven months passed before the Army acknowledged Johnson's misstatement.
"Overlooked entirely, though, was a different part of Johnson's testimony, in which he claimed the Army was unaware of reports that KBR had also been supplying military bases with contaminated water. Because of this, a 2006 investigation by Dorgan's policy committee found, soldiers had unwittingly bathed and brushed their teeth using bacteria-ridden water. The committee's findings prompted Dorgan to request an investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general.
"Johnson even denied that KBR had anything to do with the provision of water to troops at the base. "KBR was not operating the water site," he told the panel.
"But this March, when the inspector general's office released its report, investigators noted that the Pentagon had been notified on March 31, 2007—three weeks before Johnson's testimony—of KBR's role in providing polluted water to military bases, which 'may have degraded to the point of causing waterborne illnesses among US forces.'
"Investigators found that KBR was indeed in control of water quality at Camp Ar-Ramadi, and that at three of four US bases subject to inspection—including Ar-Ramadi—KBR had shirked its contractual obligation to test the water it supplied.
"At a meeting with reporters last month, Dorgan described his efforts to uncover the extent of the unsanitary water conditions at US bases in Iraq in the face of denials from both the Army and its contractor, KBR. 'It's clear everyone was lying, including [Gen. Johnson], who came to the Senate committee and deceived the committee,' Dorgan said.
What are the consequences for lying to Congress under oath, Senator Dorgan? Obviously, none since "Johnson now serves as deputy chief of staff at the US Army Forces Command in Fort McPherson, Georgia."
It seems that the US Army has also been politicized by the Bush administration and ignores and defies the Congress and all Senator Dorgan can do is complain to the press.
Johnson and his ilk should have been demoted and fired, at the very least. Lying to Congress is a criminal offense.
In addition Johnson and the rest of the senior command who ignored or tried to cover up the contaminated water scandal should be relieved of their commands, demoted, court martialed, or fired. Their protection of KBR and abrogation of responsibility for US troops is despicable.
A high level, lucrative position probably awaits Johnson at KBR.
Which also begs the question: what is wrong with the so called Democratic controlled Congress that they allow this legislative branch of government, to be treated so disdainfully by Bush's military and civilian Pentagon flunkies?
Where was the senators' sense of responsibility to the American people that they allowed this general and Defense Secretary Gates to disrespect, disregard, and defy the Congress; the general lying under oath, and Gates ignoring senatorial requests for explanation and accountable action, with no repercussions?
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