Inspector at State resists resigning

The inspector general
recused himself from
Blackwater probes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department’s embattled top fraud investigator, who recused himself from probes into Blackwater Worldwide security contractors over conflict of interest charges, has relinquished even more authority but remains at his post, officials said Thursday.

In addition to removing himself from all queries related to Blackwater, Inspector General Howard Krongard has given up his role in looking into corruption allegations involving the construction of the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

The move came at the request of a congressional oversight committee chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., which Krongard testified before a day earlier. During the hearing he learned, apparently for the first time, that his brother is a member of Blackwater’s advisory board.

“That was at the request of Congressman Waxman’s committee because they are doing their own inquiries into the new embassy compound,” McCormack said. “Because of the reporting relationship between the IG and the Congress, of course, Howard honored that request.”

Despite the fact that he has now recused himself from the State Department’s two main internal investigations in Iraq and has come under heavy pressure to resign, Krongard has not offered to step down and continues as the inspector general, McCormack told reporters.

He did not, however, offer Krongard a ringing endorsement and pointedly refused several times to say if the inspector general still had the confidence of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice or others.

“He has, appropriately, recused himself from these two issues, Blackwater and the new embassy compound,” McCormack said. “He is still doing his work as inspector general.”