Redstate

Posted at 1:49am on Feb. 10, 2008 The Hanging Chairman

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Henry Waxman has made quite the career of being a Washington watchdog and he has most people believing that he is on the side of Light and Truth when it comes to watchdogging. But via InstaPundit, we learn that Waxman's operation is as partisan as any hack's:

Howard Krongard worked his last day at the State Department recently, having learned a hard lesson in the ways of modern Congressional "oversight." To wit, if you don't follow Henry Waxman's orders, he'll try to ruin you.

Comfortable after four successful decades in private life, Mr. Krongard thought he'd do a turn in public service by taking a job in 2005 as State's Inspector General, a supposedly "independent" role. Little did the political rookie realize that Congressional barons like Mr. Waxman think that the IGs work for them.

In July, Mr. Krongard testified before Mr. Waxman's House oversight committee about a non-scandal involving allegedly poor treatment of foreign workers at the construction site of the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Mr. Krongard said he had inspected and found no evidence of human trafficking or human-rights violations. That's not what Mr. Waxman wanted to hear. In his opening statement, the California partisan insisted that State's approach to the inquiry was evidence of a "full bunker mentality."

Mr. Krongard soon found a bull's-eye on his back. As if on cue, "whistleblowers" emerged to accuse him of being too cozy with top State officials, failing to pick up counterfeit computers in Afghanistan, and even of being a high-handed boss. The principal complainers were not under oath, nor did they offer much evidence. One accuser admitted that, "I have no proof, I want to make that clear it is just my opinion."

And evidently, that opinion was good enough for Waxman, given that Krongard insisted on running an honest operation rather than one that satisfied Waxman's partisan whims. Read the whole thing. And wonder anew how the "reality-based community" got itself that label.

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