Obama Administration Cancels No-Bid Contract To Dem Donor
If you think you are not making ‘the change happen’, check out the video and story. America is awake, and it appears Obama got caught in another lie.
U.S. Cancels No-Bid Contract for Afghan Work Given to Democratic Donor
The U.S. canceled a $25 million federal contract for work in Afghanistan — awarded without entertaining competitive bids — to a company owned by a Democratic campaign contributor.
The U.S. has canceled a $25 million federal contract for work in Afghanistan awarded to a company owned by a Democratic campaign contributor who did not face competitive bids.
The cancellation comes after Fox News first reported on the details of the contract last week, prompting lawmakers to make inquiries into the deal.
State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley said that USAID terminated the award and is now working on an appropriate resolution.
“If you want to say this violates the basis on which this administration came into office and campaigned, fair enough,” Crowley told Fox News.
The contract had been awarded on Jan. 4 to Checchi & Company Consulting, a Washington-based firm owned by economist and Democratic donor Vincent V. Checchi that was hired to provide “rule of law stabilization services” in war-torn Afghanistan.
A synopsis of the contract published on the USAID Web site said Checchi & Company would “train the next generation of legal professionals” throughout the Afghan provinces and thereby “develop the capacity of Afghanistan’s justice system to be accessible, reliable, and fair.”
The legality of the arrangement as a “sole source,” or no-bid, contract was made possible by virtue of a waiver signed by the USAID administrator.
When Checchi was contacted by Fox News for its earlier report, he confirmed that his company had indeed received the nearly $25 million contract but declined to say why it had been awarded on a no-bid basis, referring a reporter to USAID.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told Fox News the no-bid contract in this case “disturbed” him.
Issa had written to USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah requesting that the agency “produce all documents related to the Checchi contract” on or before Feb. 5. Citing the waiver that enabled USAID to award the contract on a no-bid basis, Issa noted that the exemption was intended to speed up the provision of services in a crisis environment.
Federal campaign records show Checchi has been a frequent contributor to liberal and Democratic causes and candidates in recent years, including to Obama’s presidential campaign. The records show Checchi has given at least $4,400 to Obama dating back to March 2007, close to the maximum amount allowed.
