WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The State Department's inspector-general announced Wednesday he would recuse himself from decisions involving security contractor Blackwater, after admitting his brother serves as an adviser to the company. Howard Krongard already was under scrutiny by the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee, led by California Democrat Henry Waxman.
Waxman said Krongard's oversight of construction of the nearly $600 million U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, was conducted with "reckless incompetence," and that he refused to pursue allegations of fraud and labor trafficking by contractor First Kuwaiti.
Republicans on the committee accused the Democratic majority of conducting a "drive-by" investigation.
During a hearing Wednesday morning, Krongard first denied that his brother had any role with Blackwater -- but reversed himself after being confronted with evidence that his brother had attended a Blackwater advisory board meeting this week.
"I had not been aware of that, and I want to state on the record right now that I hereby recuse myself from any matters having to do with Blackwater," Krongard told the committee after calling his brother during the break.
In a separate development, the FBI has not yet interviewed five "key" members of a Blackwater security team involved in the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis, a Blackwater spokeswoman said Wednesday.
In addition, a senior U.S. official who asked not to be identified told CNN that "most, if not all, of the shooters" in the September 16 incident "have not been interviewed." ...........
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