A new report released Monday by the VA inspector general claims the Treasury Department's new senior procurement executive steered millions of dollars in no-bid contracts to acquaintances when she worked as a senior official at the Department of Veterans Affairs, reported The Washington Times.
When investigators looked into the executive, Iris Cooper, who ran the VA's office of acquisition operations, she obstructed their investigation.
The Washington Times wrote:
"The inspector general found that Iris Cooper, who ran the VA's office of acquisition operations, 'preselected' Ohio-based Tridec Technologies LLC for a contract, then helped break the work into smaller no-bid contracts to ensure the company got the work.
While the inspector general was investigating Ms. Cooper, she left the VA. She is now the senior procurement official at the Treasury, which handles more than $5 billion in contracts.
The inspector general said that because Ms. Cooper had left the VA by the time investigators finished their report, they didn't recommend any action against her."
Treasury Department spokesman Adam Hodge told The Times that the department was "not aware" of the report when the department hired Cooper, and the report "has no bearing on her standing as an employee of the department."
However, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fl., chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, commented saying he has "already been in touch with Treasury Department officials, who assured us they would investigate the circumstances surrounding the department's hiring of Iris Cooper," The Times noted.
The inspector general also said in its report that the Department of Veterans Affairs misled Congress and the media about the number of veterans who died or suffered serious harm as a result or lengthy treatment delays, reported CNN.
There may have been "overstatements or understatements" about the number of deaths or illnesses resulting from delays.
