AFSA issued the following Press Release today in response to allegations of grave problems at the State Department's Office of Inspector General:

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WASHINGTON, D.C.: The President of the American Foreign Service Association today called on embattled Department of State Inspector General Howard J. Krongard to surrender day-to-day control of State’s vital Office of Inspector General pending the resolution of grave allegations of malfeasance leveled against him by numerous current and former career government officials.

AFSA President John K. Naland, noting the 13 page list of allegations released on September 18, 2007 by Henry A. Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, revealed that AFSA also has been approached in recent days by several concerned former State Department employees with direct knowledge of some of the events in question. The allegations against Mr. Krongard cover all aspects of the work of the Office of Inspector General: investigations, audits, and inspections. They include allegations of his blocking investigations into possible sub-standard construction at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, which may leave employees there unacceptably vulnerable.

Naland commented: “The worse-case scenario in corruption is when it endangers lives. The worse-case scenario in public service is when the watchdog becomes the suspected violator. Both of these allegations have been leveled against Mr. Krongard. As long as he maintains day-to-day control, his office’s ability to do its vital job with full credibility will be compromised. He should step down until the allegations are resolved one way or another.”

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