The top three auditors of Iraq reconstruction reviewed $57 billion in contracts, one-seventh of the total U.S. expenditures, and found $10 billion in "fuzzy spending." "$4.9 billion in 'questioned' or overly expensive charges, and $5.1 billion in "unsupported" or undocumented expenses," writes Dan Duray in the San Francisco Chronicle. More than $10 billion of the [...]

The actual banner on the White House's official website from before the war started. This past week, California Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman opened hearings into the waste and fraud of the Iraqi reconstruction from nearly the last four years. The first major attempt to account for billions that have gone missing and management practices that [...]

From NBC Investigative Reporter Lisa Myers' report on MSNBC, entitled "Did Iraq contractor fleece American taxpayers?" The answer is, well, I'll let you figure it out. (Also, appended at the bottom of her report is a statement from Parsons CEO Jim McNulty.) WASHINGTON – New revelations have emerged about how tens of millions of taxpayer [...]

[Matt writes at SOTUblog, The Right's Field and was recently picked up to write at the Huffington Post along with fellow TRF bloggers, Matt Browner Hamlin and Kombiz Lavasany.] With President Bush's push to adopt the "McCain Doctrine" as official U.S. policy in Iraq, he also seeks to fund $1 billion in Iraq reconstruction projects. [...]

"Your presence is politefully requested …" Three days ago, the blog for the Wall Street Journal, Washington Wire, reported that House Government Reform Committee chair, Congressman Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles, Calif.), extended an invitation to our favorite civilian administrator in Iraq — L. Paul Bremer. The inquiry will be part of a larger effort to [...]

This past Wednesday, President Bush addressed the nation from the White House Library to unveil his "New Way Forward" 'strategy' in Iraq. (Throw out those old copies of the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq! They're worth as much as they did at release — nothing.) The decision means the official adoption of the "McCain [...]

Soon after the American people booted the GOP from Congress in the midterm elections, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) spoke at his alma mater, Georgetown Law School, and talked about, amongst many other pressing issues to come before his Senate Judiciary Committee, war profiteers. And because prosecuting criminal cases against war profiteering is difficult under current [...]

[Matt writes at SOTUblog and recently joined The Right's Field -- a blog focusing exclusively on the GOP field for president in '08.]  Earlier this month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report that stated the Department of Defense "lacks the ability to oversee contractors." Too few military officials, the report says, are [...]

Senate Judiciary Committee in the 109th Congress, including incoming chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont). (photo credit — Newsday) Just a few days ago, incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), spoke at his alma mater for the Georgetown Law Forum. (Video available at C-SPAN and text here.) In his prepared remarks, Senator [...]

Your war profiteering news for 12/3-12/9. Looking back at this week's posts, looks like my job here is done. In that case, I'm just going to rant about the rise of the American industrial revolution in the late 19th and early 20th cent– wait, what? There's more of this crap to talk about? Ah horse [...]