(RightWing.org) – As the world approaches the second anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin launching his invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden (or whoever might be acting as Geppetto to his Pinocchio) is negotiating with Congress to approve billions of dollars more than has already been provided. However, a recent report from a watchdog group could possibly lead Republicans in the House of Representatives to balk at the expenditure.
The Money Pit
The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a lengthy report and a press release that summarizes its audit of the “defense articles provided to Ukraine.” Their investigation found that more than $1 billion worth of that equipment (59% of the total that had been shipped to them) couldn’t be accounted for because the DoD failed to comply with tracking requirements for enhanced end-use monitoring (EEUM) for the weapons of war in a hostile environment.
The OIG’s press release says that the guidelines require a continual tracking of “items that contain sensitive technology,” and those that might be “susceptible to diversion or misuse” that could jeopardize the security of the United States. They pointed to several factors that came into play, including insufficient numbers of Americans at logistics hubs and the inability of those who are there to travel within Ukraine.
IG Robert Storch essentially shrugged his shoulders with his palms raised when it came to how much of the equipment donated to the defenders may have been diverted from its intended locales, by making the excuse that “it was beyond the scope of this project.” In a June 16, 2023 article, the Cato Institute’s Jordan Cohen analyzed another report issued by the OIG and shared how the problems may not all be at the delivery point.
Cohen’s analysis found that the DoD’s zeal to get the materials to Europe prevented them from sending the needed information for tracking, and the people tasked with making sure the data was logged or not given proper training and possessed little or no expertise in the extremely complicated field of logistics. The need to move equipment as quickly as possible has led the Biden administration to overlook alleged… indiscretions… from their past.
On September 9, 2023, the New York Times published an exposé on American arms dealer Marc Morales describing a meeting in an upscale Kyiv hotel where “Ukrainian military and government officials” were in attendance. The article reveals that the man who boasts about his $10 million yacht was indicted by the Justice Department for conspiracy and money laundering related to allegations that he paid bribes to officials in other countries.
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