March 1, 2007

Why would the Army fire the well-respected Gen. Weightman? They say it's because they lost trust and confidence in him. It would appear, however, that it's because they don't want him testifying about the privatization that led to the terrible conditions at Walter Reed. Henry Waxman is trying to get to the bottom of it. And what would cronyism in Bush's government be without...wait for it...Halliburton. (h/t Strawberry)

VIDEO UPDATE: CNN is calling the privitization memo a potential smoking gun in the scandal.

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Army Times:

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has subpoenaed Maj. Gen. George Weightman, who was fired as head of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, after Army officials refused to allow him to testify before the committee Monday.

Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and subcommittee Chairman John Tierney asked Weightman to testify about an internal memo that showed privatization of services at Walter Reed could put “patient care services at risk of mission failure.”

The memorandum “describes how the Army’s decision to privatize support services at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was causing an exodus of ‘highly skilled and experienced personnel,’” the committee’s letter states. “According to multiple sources, the decision to privatize support services at Walter Reed led to a precipitous drop in support personnel at Walter Reed.”

The letter said Walter Reed also awarded a five-year, $120-million contract to IAP Worldwide Services, which is run by Al Neffgen, a former senior Halliburton official.

The letter said the Defense Department “systemically” tried to replace federal workers at Walter Reed with private companies for facilities management, patient care and guard duty – a process that began in 2000.

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