Fall 2004: Defense Department Inspector General Leaves Iraq

The auditors sent to Iraq by the Department of Defense’s Inspector General are withdrawn. The auditors were in charge of investigating waste and fraud by the US military and its contractors in Iraq. The criminal investigative arm of the Inspector General also officially ends its assignment in Iraq in October of 2004. The official explanation given is that there are other agencies that conduct oversight of the Pentagon’s spending. Experts respond by saying that only the Inspector General has the capability and mandate to properly oversee the military’s handling of tax dollars. The withdrawal leaves a gap in oversight of over $140 billion in spending by the military. [Knight Ridder, 10/17/2005]