Ex-State Dept. Employees: Iraqi Corruption Ignored

Two ex-State Department employees say the Bush administration ignored corruption at the highest levels within the Iraqi government and kept secret potentially embarrassing information.

Arthur Brennan, who briefly served in Baghdad as head of the department's Office of Accountability and Transparency last year, and James Mattil, who worked as chief of staff, say their office was understaffed and its warnings and recommendations ignored.

Brennan also alleges that the State Department prevented a congressional staffer in Baghdad from talking with staffers by insisting they were too busy. In reality, Brennan says, the staffers were watching movies at the embassy and on their computers after having their workload cut. Read more