Report Points to Blackwater’s Excessive Violence

Staff / Truthdig Oct 2, 2007 According to a devastating new report from the House Oversight Committee, Blackwater USA employees engaged in at least 195 "escalation of force" incidents since 2005, with the private security firm firing 80 percent of the first shots (despite its purely defensive mandate). What's worse, the State Department has provided little if any oversight, instead assisting the company as it carried out damage control. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Whistleblowers Expose State Department Bushie

Staff / Truthdig Sep 19, 2007 Rep. Henry Waxman has accused the State Department's top oversight official of looking out for the best interests of the Bush administration, and not the American taxpayer. A number of current and former subordinates of the State Department's inspector general contacted Waxman to report interference with investigations into fraud and corruption in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rumsfeld to Testify on Tillman Death

Staff / Truthdig Aug 1, 2007 The Raw Story is reporting that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday to answer questions related to the killing of Pat Tillman. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

House Panel Demands Records About Tillman

Staff / Truthdig Jul 14, 2007 House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and his Republican committee colleague Rep. Tom Davis are putting pressure on the White House and the Defense Department to hand over records about the death of Pat Tillman. The administration has been keeping the documents secret, citing its executive confidentiality prerogative. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Overseer: Rep. Henry Waxman

Staff / Truthdig May 31, 2007 Rep. Henry Waxman, who more than any other politician is fulfilling the Democrats' election promise to bring good governance and oversight back to Washington, tells Truthdig about Iraq corruption, the tragedy of post-traumatic stress disorder, and why it's only a matter of time before Congress -- Republicans included -- pulls the plug on the war. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Rice Resists Subpoena

Staff / Truthdig Apr 27, 2007 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she's not obligated under the principle of executive privilege to comply with a subpoena issued by the House, but would be happy to respond to questions by writing a letter. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ignore the Pundits and Bark Louder

Joe Conason / Truthdig Mar 29, 2007 The Washington press elite has warned the Democrats not to pursue the U.S. attorney scandal, but lawmakers should listen to the polls, not the "cable sages" who have so frequently been wrong. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Oversight Hearing Reveals Contractor Abuses

Staff / Truthdig Feb 8, 2007 Last year, the Army vehemently denied allegations that Halliburton had hired Blackwater, another private contractor, to provide security in Iraq, but in a hearing before the House Government Oversight Committee on Wednesday, the military reversed itself. The committee also made public an e-mail from a Blackwater employee who frantically demanded that the firm properly equip its guards, four of whom were killed hours after the message was written. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Gonzales Installs Bush Loyalists in Key Positions

Staff / Truthdig Jan 27, 2007 Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is exploiting a loophole in the Patriot Act to appoint U.S. attorneys whose principal qualification is their loyalty to the Bush administration. Recently a number of attorneys have been fired, apparently to make way for Bush-friendly replacements. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Dennis Kucinich’s Showdown With the Democratic Leadership

Joshua Scheer / Truthdig Dec 7, 2006 Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) criticizes the leadership of his own party for announcing Tuesday that it would support a massive increase in spending for the Iraq war. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Government Agency Slams Voting Machines

Staff / Truthdig Dec 1, 2006 The federal government has finally taken notice of absurdly unverifiable electronic voting equipment, with new recommendations just released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The research group argues that a paper trail is necessary for election officials to be able to conduct a credible recount. But don't get your hopes up: Even if Congress agrees with the findings, real oversight could be years away. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Waxman: A Thorn in Bush’s Side

Staff / Truthdig Nov 26, 2006 Rep. Henry Waxman (Truthdig's own congressman) spent his years in the minority generating headlines for his investigations into abuses of power and corruption. Now that the Dems have taken over, he will have some teeth to sink into the Bush administration's excesses. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )