Howard J. "Cookie" Krongard (born December 12, 1940), is an American attorney and former government official who served as

Inspector General of the Department of State The inspector general of the Department of State heads the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State and is responsible for detecting and investigating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the United States Department of St ...

during the

George W. Bush Administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic ...

. After being accused of averting probes into contracting fraud in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and a possible conflict of interest regarding investigations into

Blackwater Worldwide Blackwater was an American private military company founded on December 26, 1996 by former Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince. It was renamed Xe Services in 2009 and known as Academi since 2011 after it was acquired by a group of private investors. ...

, Krongard left his post on January 15, 2008, and was not eligible for retirement.

Early life

Krongard was raised in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He is the brother of former CIA Executive Director

A. B. Krongard Alvin Bernard "Buzzy" Krongard (born October 25, 1936) was the executive director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He was appointed by George Tenet on March 16, 2001. The Executive Director is the third ranking position within the CIA and the ...

. He graduated in 1961 with a degree in history from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, and was a First Team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n goaltender in

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

, which earned him a place in the

National Lacrosse Hall of Fame The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum, is located in Sparks, Maryland at the USA Lacrosse headquarters. Prior to moving to its present location in 2016, the hall of fame and museum was located in Baltimore, Maryland, on the Homewood camp ...

. He graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1964, then did postgraduate work at the

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

from 1964 to 1965.

Career

From 1989 to 1996, Krongard was a lawyer with

Deloitte & Touche Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...

and its predecessor firm, Deloitte Haskins & Sells. From 1996 to 2005, Krongard was a lawyer with

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (informally Freshfields, or FBD) is an international law firm headquartered in London, and a member of the Magic Circle. The firm has 28 offices in 17 jurisdictions across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North ...

Government

Krongard served as the

since from May 2, 2005 to December 7, 2007. Stout, David
Democrat Opens Inquiry Into Whether State Dept. Official Impeded Investigations
''The New York Times'', September 18, 2007.

Controversies

State Department probes

In a 14-page letter on September 18, 2007,

House Oversight Committee The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...

chairman

Henry Waxman Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1975 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district included much of the western part of the city of L ...

charged Krongard with actively impeding probes into waste and corruption related to the

war in Iraq This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Iraq and its predecessor states. Other armed conflicts involving Iraq * Wars during Mandatory Iraq ** Ikhwan raid on South Iraq 1921 * Smaller conflicts, revolutions, coups and periphery confli ...

and other matters. In a three-page follow-up letter issued on September 28, 2007, Waxman informed Krongard that allegations of witness intimidation had been made against Krongard's staff. Aides to Krongard threatened two U.S. State Department investigators with retaliation, including termination of their jobs, if they cooperated with the investigations into

Blackwater USA Blackwater was an American private military company founded on December 26, 1996 by former Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince. It was renamed Xe Services in 2009 and known as Academi since 2011 after it was acquired by a group of private investors ...

and Krongard, according to a report released by the U.S. House of Representatives. Warren P. Strobel, ''Sacramento Bee''
"Blackwater fact-finders threatened?"
September 29, 2007. Krongard directly interfered with federal prosecutors when they asked his office for help with investigating possible Blackwater arms smuggling. In an e-mail, he wrote, to his staff,

is directed to stop IMMEDIATELY any work on these contracts until I receive a briefing from the (assistant U.S. attorney) regarding the details of this investigation. SA Militana, ASAIC Rubendall and any others involved are to be directed by you not to proceed in any manner until the briefing takes place,

That was sent to a subordinate on July 11, 2007, and was disclosed by Waxman's Congressional investigation, who revealed the e-mails. Krongard denied this, however. Warren P. Strobel, Mcclatchy Newspapers

September 29, 2007. On November 14, 2007, Krongard testified to Congress, regarding his brother,

I can tell you, very frankly, I am not aware of any financial interest or position he has with respect to Blackwater. When these ugly rumors started recently, I specifically asked him. I do not believe it is true that he is a member of the advisory board that you stated. And that's something I think I need to say.Brother of State Dept. Official Linked to Blackwater
Matthew Jaffe, ABC News, November 14, 2007

However, Krongard was confronted with a July 26 letter from Blackwater founder and CEO Erik Prince to A.B. Krongard asking him to join Blackwater's advisory board, followed by a September 5 letter welcoming Krongard to the board and a report from Rep. Elijah Cummings stating that A.B. Krongard had been expected to attend a Blackwater board meeting earlier that week. Krongard then called his brother during the ensuing break in the hearings and learned of this conflict of interest for the first time, saying "I'm not my brother's keeper, and we don't discuss our business with each other". He then recused himself from the investigation.State Dept. official withdraws from Blackwater probe
by Matt Kelley, USA Today, November 14, 2007. Democrats on the committee argued that this had a negative impact on Krongard's credibility, which also cast doubt on his denials of the accusations of interfering with U.S. Justice Department, Justice Department investigations of Blackwater and other State Department contractors. Committee chairman

issued a memorandum summarizing the discrepancies between the two brothers' recollections of what they told each other.

Personal life

Howard Krongard has lived in the Upper Montclair, New Jersey, Upper Montclair section of Montclair, New Jersey for over 30 years, and has a son and a daughter.
Howard J. Krongard, Inspector General
, United States Department of State. Accessed September 20, 2007.

References

External links

Krongard's State Department biographyHoward J. Krongard's campaign contributions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krongard, Howard 1940 births Baltimore City College alumni George W. Bush administration controversies Harvard Law School alumni Living people People from Montclair, New Jersey Princeton University alumni