On the day that admitted felon Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham is pleading with a judge for leniency in his sentencing, the CIA Inspector General admits it has
opened an investigation into whether the agency's #3 official, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, was part of the defense contract corruption.
The CIA Inspector General has opened an investigation into the spy agency's executive director, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, and his connections to two defense contractors accused of bribing a member of Congress and Pentagon officials.
The CIA released an official statement on the matter to ABC News, saying: "It is standard practice for CIA's Office of Inspector General -- an aggressive, independent watchdog -- to look into assertions that mention agency officers. That should in no way be seen as lending credibility to any allegation.
"Mr. Foggo has overseen many contracts in his decades of public service. He reaffirms that they were properly awarded and administered."
The CIA said Foggo, the number three official at the CIA, would have no further comment. He will remain in his post at the CIA during the investigation, according to officials.
Two former CIA officials tell ABC News that Foggo oversaw contracts involving at least one of the companies accused of paying bribes to Congressman Randall "Duke" Cunningham. The story was first reported by Newsweek magazine.
You can read the Newsweek article here. The inquiry is considered so serious that Congress was notified of it in writing. Foggo was appointed by CIA Director Porter Goss, and currently serves as the Executive Director of the CIA. His name has surfaced before with respect to this scandal, but this is the first time the CIA has acknowleged it has launched a formal investigation into the matter. For some background on the Foggo connections, read Larry Johnson's post here.
