Can anyone in America even IMAGINE a Democrat getting away with this - having the son-in-law of a Kerry, Gore, Clinton, or Edwards STOP a GAO INVESTIGATION into a vital part of the American National Security agencies, that American taxpayers pay BILLIONS to fund in the deadly effort to prevent the war of terrorists from killing MORE American civilians?
Having DONE NOTHING to investigate the Bush administration's pick of a SHOW-HORSE ASSOCIATION show manager to be the head of FEMA (in the months before the Katrina flooding disaster demonstrated "Brownies" abject INCOMPETENCE at coordinating disaster relief), the WHORE MEDIA - the editors of the major papers, those who determine what the HEADLINES and FRONT PAGE STORIES are - are now back to their CRONY CORRUPTION WAY, giving the Bush White House a FREE PASS to use the WAR ON TERROR and America's NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCIES as a giant REPUBLICAN SLUSH FUND for cronies, donors, lobbyists, and connected corprations and contractors.
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Cheney’s Son-In-Law Blamed for Delaying Investigations of Homeland Security Department
by ThinkProgress.org
Feb 6 2007
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/06/perry-homeland-security/
The Department of Homeland Security refuses to cooperate on oversight activities, according to testimony offered today by GAO Comptroller General David Walker and Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner. The investigators highlighted the role of Philip Perry — Chief Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security and Vice President Cheney’s son-in-law — as the major stumbling block in their investigations.
Walker said the DHS strategy in dealing with investigations is to “delay, delay, delay.” CongressDaily reports:
“[Homeland Security] has been one of our persistent access challenges,” GAO Comptroller General David Walker told the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. Walker said the problem is “systemic” and not the fault of any single individual. But he complained that GAO has had to go through the office of Chief Counsel Philip Perry. Perry is married to Elizabeth Cheney, a former State Department official who is one of the vice president’s two daughters. Walker said it is his understanding that Perry’s office has to review documents GAO seeks before they are released and that Perry selectively sits in on interviews with department employees.
The GAO’s Skinner “said his investigations have also been hindered”:
“We’re experiencing the same problem,” said Skinner, who added his office is “oftentimes” told who they can interview and that it sometimes takes weeks to get documents. Skinner said he prepared a document last summer to inform all department employees of the IG’s responsibilities and authorities and encouraging them to cooperate with investigations. “That letter has been sitting up in counsel’s office at DHS since I believe June or July of ‘06,” Skinner said.
The news is another in a series of black eyes for the agency. In a recent federal survey, DHS employees “scored last or almost last in job satisfaction, leadership and workplace performance.” The latest semiannual report from Inspector General Skinner highlighted “a litany of staff misconduct: immigration officials demanding sex in exchange for visas, airport screeners stealing money from tourists’ luggage, federal air marshals smuggling drugs, and employees from various DHS agencies committing sex crimes.”
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