Feds Sue KBR Over Iraq Bills

Flickr/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stroudlisa/127181089/">LisaStroud 2000</a>

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Given Mother Jones‘ recent investigation of KBR’s waste in Iraq (you know, the one that found a bunch of mechanics who worked 43 minutes a month for millions of bucks), as well as the third degree put on the war contractor’s flacks by members of the bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting Monday, the US government could take its pick of actionable business practices by the Houston-based profiteer. And it finally selected one to sue over. Perhaps it’s the start of something bigger.

Kimberly Hefling of the Associated Press reports that the government has filed suit against KBR in a Washington federal court, alleging that the company (an ex-subsidiary of the Dick Cheney-helmed Halliburton) “and 33 of its subcontractors used private armed security at various times from 2003 to 2006. The suit claims KBR knew it could not bill the U.S. government for such services but did so anyway.” That’s actually a convenient (if hard-to-explain) scam that outlets like the Washington Post have been wise to for several years. Back in 2007, The Nation‘s resident expert on private military contractors, Blackwater author Jeremy Scahill, estimated that KBR passed on nearly half a billion dollars in personal security expenses to the US government—including payments to Blackwater, a mercenary outfit that’s built up quite the reputation for corruption and violence.

We here at MoJo haven’t gotten our hands on the court filings yet—and we will. But suffice to say that if the suit is successful—and federal attorneys are likely to mount a much heavier legal offensive against KBR than poor Jamie Leigh Jones can manage on her own—an avalanche of legal claims against KBR may ensue. A dubious firm that once claimed immunity to US suits could end up in tatters. Something good may come out of the Iraq war yet.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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