The Project On Government Oversight ( POGO ) is a nonpartisan nonprofit government watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. .
142-665: The Project on Military Procurement, an arm of the National Taxpayers Legal Fund, was founded by Dina Rasor in February 1981. The Project's mission was to make the public aware of 'waste, fraud, and fat" in U.S. defense spending, according to Rasor. In the organization's early days, Rasor worked with whistleblowers to expose design flaws in the M1 Abrams tank, which had undergone a "shocking (cost) increase" in 1980, according to Rasor. The Project first gained widespread attention in
284-483: A J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School . After unsuccessfully running for the U.S. House of Representatives , he was elected Missouri State Auditor in 1974. He then served two consecutive terms as Missouri Attorney General and as Missouri Governor (a historical first for a Republican candidate in the state). He is only Republican to serve two full consecutive terms as governor to date. He also served one term as
426-476: A Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 1967. After law school, he briefly taught Business Law and worked as an administrator at Southwest Missouri State University . During the Vietnam War , he was not drafted because he received six student draft deferments and one occupational deferment due to his teaching work. In 1972, Ashcroft ran for a congressional seat in southwest Missouri in
568-453: A U.S. Senator from Missouri until losing a race for a second term in 2000 . Ashcroft had early appointments in Missouri state government and was mentored by John Danforth . He has written several books about politics and ethics . After George W. Bush was elected president in 2000, he selected Ashcroft to serve as U.S. Attorney General. As Attorney General, Ashcroft was a key supporter of
710-525: A "special plea" from the Pentagon. Eleven XM1 preproduction models were manufactured between February and July 1978 at Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant . Quality problems with the engine quickly became apparent in testing. The first preproduction units that arrived at Aberdeen Proving Ground in March 1978 had serious problems. The tank accumulated mud and dirt under the hull which led to thrown tracks. Chrysler installed
852-496: A "sweetheart" relationship with oil companies that prevented the agency from going after the industry for moneys due. In 2002, POGO launched the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, a website that compiles instances of "misconduct and alleged misconduct" by the top government contractors since 1995, according to the website. POGO's database was the inspiration for a similar federal government database that
994-595: A "threat assessment" made by the FBI. Neither the Bureau, nor the Justice Department would identify the specific nature of the threat, who made it, or when it happened. The CIA were unaware of any specific threats against Cabinet members. At the time, Ashcroft was the only Cabinet appointee who traveled on a private jet, excluding the special cases of Interior and Energy who have responsibilities which require chartered jets. After
1136-584: A Soviet gun within 800 m (2,600 ft) and 30 degrees to either side. The tank would be armed with the 105 mm M68 gun , a licensed version of the Royal Ordnance L7 , and a 20 mm version of the M242 Bushmaster . The Army later deleted the latter from the design, seeing it as superfluous. In spring 1972, Desobry was briefed by the British on their own newly developed "Burlington" armor from
1278-419: A congressional investigation of Bloch, Bloch allegedly hired a technology company to wipe the memory of his computer and several other OSC laptops in order to hide key evidence from the investigators. Bloch initially claimed that he ordered this as protection against a virus that had infected his computer, but he later admitted he was trying to withhold information. Bloch ultimately resigned his position as head of
1420-521: A consideration against leniency. When Karl Rove was being questioned in 2005 by the FBI over the leak of a covert CIA agent's identity in the press (the Valerie Plame affair), Ashcroft was allegedly briefed about the investigation . The Democratic U.S. Representative John Conyers described this as a "stunning ethical breach that cries out for an immediate investigation." Conyers, the ranking Democrat on
1562-563: A digital enhancement package for the A1 (M1A1D), and a commonality program to standardize parts between the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps (M1A1HC). Improvements to survivability, lethality, and protection have been sought since 2014. Further combat was seen during 2003 when U.S. forces invaded Iraq and deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in the Iraq War 's Operation Iraqi Freedom. One achievement of
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#17328519731881704-472: A direct result of enemy fire, none of which resulted in any fatalities. Three Abrams were left behind the enemy lines after a swift attack on Talil airfield , south of Nasiriyah , on February 27. One of them was hit by enemy fire, while the other two became embedded in mud. The tanks were destroyed by U.S. forces to prevent any trophy-claim by the Iraqi Army. A total of 23 M1A1s were damaged or destroyed during
1846-691: A domestic informant network along the lines of the East German Stasi or the Soviet KGB , and an encroachment upon the First and Fourth amendments. The United States Postal Service refused to be a party to it. Ashcroft defended the program as a necessary component of the ongoing War on Terrorism , but the proposal was eventually abandoned. Ashcroft proposed a draft of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 , legislation to expand
1988-492: A full set of controls and displays linked by a digital data bus. These upgrades also provided the M1A2 with an improved fire control system. The M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP) added digital maps, Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below ( FBCB2 ) Linux communications system capabilities for commanders, and an improved cooling system to compensate for heat generated by the additional computer systems. The M1A2 SEP also serves as
2130-621: A material witness in the trial of Sami Omar Al-Hussayen . (The latter was acquitted of all charges of supporting terrorism.) Al-Kidd was never charged and was not called as a witness in the Al-Hussayen case. The panels court described the government's assertions under the USA Patriot Act (2001) as "repugnant of the Constitution". In a detailed and at times passionate opinion, Judge Milan Smith likened allegations against al-Kidd as similar to
2272-414: A memorandum to employees to "be careful what they say" to safety and security inspectors. In 2009, 69 computers disappeared, although plant officials insisted that the computers did not contain the most highly classified information. 2009 also saw a scare in which 2.2 pounds of missing plutonium prompted a Department of Energy investigation into the plant. The investigation found that the "missing plutonium"
2414-410: A multibillion-dollar acquisition less than a month after hiring Ashcroft. The year-end filing represented, in some cases, only initial payments. According to government filings, Oracle is one of five Ashcroft Group clients that seek help in selling data or software with security applications. Another client, Israel Aircraft Industries International , is competing with Seattle's Boeing Company to sell
2556-542: A nearby dump site for radioactive material. POGO and other organizations claimed in 2012 that the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps hid information about the nature and extent of the contamination, citing a report released by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry that was redacted by the Navy. Later that year, the U.S. Senate voted to approve healthcare for those who lived at Camp Lejeune and suffered health problems. In 2017,
2698-577: A new governance chief to oversee ethical and legal compliance and established a new board composed of former government officials, including former White House counsel Jack Quinn and Ashcroft. In December 2011, Xe Services rebranded to Academi to convey a more "boring" image. The firm also has a law firm under its umbrella, called the Ashcroft Law Firm. In December 2014, the law firm was hired by convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout to overturn his 2011 conviction. In June 2017, Ashcroft
2840-450: A proponent of the War on Drugs . In a 2001 interview on Larry King Live, Ashcroft stated his intention to increase efforts in this area. In 2003, two nationwide investigations code-named Operation Pipe Dream and Operation Headhunter , which targeted businesses selling drug paraphernalia , mostly for cannabis use, resulted in a series of indictments. Tommy Chong , a counterculture icon,
2982-543: A report that documented corruption and mismanagement in the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) royalty-in-kind program. The investigation revealed inadequate royalty accounting, as well as the provision of sex, drugs, and other favors to MMS officials by oil company representatives in exchange for favorable business deals. Following this report and others by the federal Government Accountability Office ,
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#17328519731883124-415: A scraper to prevent the build-up of dirt. This did not solve the issue entirely. It was determined months later that a gauge used to tension tracks was miscalibrated. This caused the tracks to be fitted too loosely. Another problem was the ingestion of debris by the engine. The problem was determined to be caused by poorly fitting air filters. At Fort Bliss , several tanks experienced transmission issues. It
3266-496: A somewhat vague memorandum of understanding in 1974 committing both parties toward commonality in tank parts. Germany had assumed that its tank would be evaluated against the GM and Chrysler's prototypes and that the best tank would be chosen for production. This misunderstanding arose from the fact that in public statements both countries had overrepresented the MOU as an agreement that Germany and
3408-653: A spokesman for XM. The spokesman said XM declined Ashcroft's offer. Ashcroft was subsequently hired by the National Association of Broadcasters , which is strongly opposed to the merger. In 2011, Ashcroft became an "independent director" on the board of Xe Services (now Academi ), the controversial private military company formerly known as Blackwater ( Nisour Square massacre ), which faced scores of charges related to weapons trafficking, unlawful force, and corruption, and had named Ted Wright as CEO in May 2011. Wright hired
3550-435: A third of its client list were not disclosed on grounds of confidentiality. The firm also had equity stakes in eight client companies. It reportedly received $ 1.4 million in lobbying fees in the six months preceding August 2006, a small fraction of its total earnings. After the proposed merger of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., Ashcroft offered the firm his consulting services, according to
3692-498: A total of almost $ 440 million. POGO was awarded about $ 1.2 million from the settlements in 1998. That year, POGO shared its settlement with two federal employee whistleblowers, saying the payment was a "Public Service Award" to the whistleblowers. Following the news of the award in 1999, U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski asked the General Accounting Office to investigate whether the payment represented "improper influence" on
3834-649: A variety of main guns. In January 1978, the Secretary of the Army announced that the Rheinmetall 120 mm gun would be mounted on future production versions of the XM1. This decision established the requirement for a separate program for the M1E1 (with 120 mm gun) so that the XM1 program could continue unimpeded. About 5,000 M1A1 Abrams tanks were produced from 1986 to 1992 and featured
3976-649: Is a guide geared towards congressional staffers; an updated second edition was published in 2015. In 2009, POGO received the Society of Professional Journalists ' Sunshine Award for its work uncovering wasteful spending in the Air Force , investigating the Minerals Management Service at the Department of the Interior , and compiling the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database. In 2015, POGO received five awards from
4118-532: The 1MDB scandal, back in 2016. According to the document, the firm was hired to provide legal advice and counsel to Najib regarding "improper actions by third parties to attempt to destabilise the government of Malaysia". Although it is unsure whether Najib will retain the services of Ashcroft on the issue due to the United States Department of Justice's probe into 1MDB. In 2009 in Ashcroft v. al-Kidd ,
4260-505: The 2000 election and not run for president. In the Republican primary, Ashcroft defeated Marc Perkel . In the general election, Ashcroft faced a challenge from Governor Mel Carnahan . In the midst of a tight race, Carnahan died in an airplane crash three weeks prior to the election. Ashcroft suspended all campaigning after the plane crash. Because of Missouri state election laws and the short time to election, Carnahan's name remained on
4402-504: The 2015 Yemeni Civil War , where M1A2s were used against Houthi rebels. In August 2016, the U.S. approved a deal to sell up to 153 more Abrams tanks to Saudi Arabia, including 20 "battle damage replacements", suggesting that some Saudi Arabian Abrams had been destroyed or severely damaged in combat in Yemen. John Ashcroft John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, lobbyist , and former politician who served as
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4544-719: The Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq, one of the torture memos was leaked to the press in June 2004. Jack Goldsmith , then head of the Office of Legal Counsel , had already withdrawn the Yoo memos and advised agencies not to rely on them. After Goldsmith chose to resign because of his objections, Ashcroft issued a one paragraph opinion re-authorizing the use of torture . Ashcroft pushed his U.S. attorneys to pursue voter fraud cases. However,
4686-656: The American Library Association 's opposition to Section 215 as "hysteria" in two separate speeches given in September 2003. While Attorney General, Ashcroft consistently denied that the FBI or any other law enforcement agency had used the Patriot Act to obtain library circulation records or those of retail sales. According to the sworn testimony of two FBI agents interviewed by the 9/11 Commission , he ignored warnings of an imminent al-Qaida attack. In January 2002,
4828-511: The British Army 's labs. The armor performed exceptionally against shaped charges such as HEAT rounds. In September, Desobry convinced the Army to incorporate the new armor. To take full advantage of Burlington, also known as Chobham, the new tank would have to have armor around two feet thick (for comparison, the armor on the M60 is around four inches thick). General Creighton Abrams set the weight of
4970-429: The Department of Veterans' Affairs finalized rules to provide benefits for people who had been diagnosed with certain diseases as a result of living at Camp Lejeune. POGO has conducted many investigations into defense spending, particularly in cases where, "national security and needs of the troops have been compromised by greed, lack of oversight, and in many cases, sheer incompetence," according to its website. Some of
5112-611: The Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant (DATP) in Warren, Michigan from 1982 to 1991 (DATP also produced the 11 preproduction models in 1978. ). The U.S. Army Laboratory Command (LABCOM), under the supervision of the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL), was also heavily involved with designing the tank with M1A1 armor resistant shells, M829A2 armor-penetrating rounds, and improved weapon range. The M1
5254-569: The House Judiciary Committee , asked, in a statement, for a formal investigation of the time between the start of Rove's investigation and John Ashcroft's recusal . Since his service in government, Ashcroft has continued to oppose proposals for physician-assisted suicide , which some states have passed by referendums. When interviewed about it in 2012, when a case had reached the US Supreme Court after California voters had approved
5396-519: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found that Ashcroft could be sued and held personally responsible for the wrongful detention of Abdullah al-Kidd. The American citizen was arrested at Dulles International Airport in March 2003 on his way to Saudi Arabia for study. He was held for 15 days in maximum security in three states, and 13 months in supervised release, to be used as
5538-528: The Project on Government Oversight ). PMP took issue with the tank's vulnerability, high price, reliance on flammable hydraulics, and high fuel consumption. American tank historian Steven J. Zaloga characterized American press criticism of the M1 during this time as "ill-founded". Zaloga wrote the issues uncovered by the tank trials were "not particularly serious". PMP's criticism failed to generate any serious opposition to
5680-468: The Republican primary election , narrowly losing to Gene Taylor . After the primary, Missouri Governor Kit Bond appointed Ashcroft to the office of State Auditor, which Bond had vacated when he became governor. In 1974, Ashcroft was narrowly defeated for election to that post by Jackson County Executive George W. Lehr . Lehr had argued that Ashcroft, who is not an accountant, was not qualified to be
5822-450: The September 11 terrorist attacks had been ignored due to poor translation. POGO won the lawsuit in 2005. In 2006, POGO launched a series of nonpartisan trainings to teach congressional staff how to conduct oversight and investigations. Since then, POGO has hosted monthly training, as well as specialized training upon request, according to the organization's website. In 2008, POGO released
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5964-738: The September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, Ashcroft was a key administration supporter of passage of the USA PATRIOT Act . One of its provisions, Section 215, allows the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to apply for an order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to require production of "any tangible thing" for an investigation. This provision was criticized by citizen and professional groups concerned about violations of privacy. Ashcroft referred to
6106-521: The U.S. Army and the West German Bundeswehr began collaborating on a main battle tank (MBT) design that both nations would use, improving interoperability between the two NATO partners. The MBT-70 , or Kampfpanzer 70 as it was known in Germany, incorporated many new unconventional technologies across the board. Conventional tanks of the time had a crew of four, with the driver located in
6248-410: The U.S. Senate , and Ashcroft ran to replace him. He was unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Democrat James Baker in the general election. He was scheduled to be sworn in on January 10, 1977, but Danforth resigned from his post early ahead of his swearing in to the U.S. Senate, thus Ashcroft became attorney general on December 27, 1976. In 1980, Ashcroft was re-elected with 64.5 percent of
6390-508: The USA Patriot Act following the September 11 attacks and the use of torture to suspected terrorists. Ashcroft stepped down as Attorney General in February 2005 and was replaced by Alberto Gonzales . Since 2011, Ashcroft sits on the board of directors for the private military company Academi (formerly Blackwater ) and is a professor at the Regent University School of Law , a conservative Christian institution affiliated with
6532-466: The liberation of Kuwait . The U.S. Marine Corps deployed 353 tanks, of which 277 were M60s and 76 were M1A1 (60 M1A1HA and 16 M1A1 Common). The M1A1 Common variant included adaptations for deep wading and improvements to increase commonality with the Army's Abrams. The 2nd Tank Battalion was equipped with M1A1HA Abrams borrowed from the Army. The M1A1 was superior to Iraq's Soviet -era T-54/T-55 and T-62 tanks, as well as T-72 versions imported from
6674-543: The 105 mm M68 gun, the licensed L7, and the 20 mm Bushmaster. Chrysler chose a 1,500 hp Lycoming AGT1500 gas turbine engine. GM's model was powered by a 1,500 hp diesel engine similar to that used on the American MBT-70 and XM803. Prototypes were delivered in 1976 by Chrysler and GM armed with the M68E1 105 mm gun. They entered head-to-head testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground . The testing showed that
6816-558: The 79th United States attorney general under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. A Republican from Missouri , Ashcroft represented the state in the United States Senate from 1995 to 2001, and held statewide office as the 29th auditor (1973–1975), 38th attorney general (1976–1985), and 50th governor of Missouri (1985–1993). He later founded The Ashcroft Group , a Washington D.C. lobbying firm. Ashcroft graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1960 before receiving
6958-459: The Abrams and many other U.S. combat vehicles used in the conflict were fitted with Combat Identification Panels to reduce friendly fire incidents. Several Abrams tanks that were irrecoverable due to loss of mobility or other circumstances were destroyed by friendly forces, usually by other Abrams tanks, to prevent their capture. Some Abrams tanks were disabled by Iraqi infantrymen in ambushes during
7100-459: The Area 51, but POGO turned to George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley to sue the government on behalf of the woman and six former Area 51 workers for illnesses and death as a result of toxic waste exposure at Area 51. POGO executive director Danielle Brian said that, during the litigation, the organization obtained an unclassified Area 51 security manual, which POGO gave to Turley and
7242-630: The Army to reallocate remaining funds to develop a new main battle tank. The Army began the XM815 project in January 1972. The Main Battle Tank Task Force (MBTTF) was established under Major General William Desobry . The task force prepared design studies with the technical support of Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM). TACOM began examining specific goals. To this end, a new design basis emerged in February 1973. It had to defeat any hit from
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#17328519731887384-510: The Defense Department awarded the $ 4.9 billion development contract to Chrysler. The turbine engine and cost do not appear to be the only reason for the selection of Chrysler. Chrysler was the only company that appeared to be seriously interested in tank development; the M60 had been lucrative for the company. In contrast, GM made only about 1% of its income from military sales, compared to 5% for Chrysler, and only submitted their bid after
7526-615: The Department of Justice said it would not litigate on the matter for a third time. In 2002, POGO, Government Accountability Project , and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility co-published the book The Art of Anonymous Activism: Serving the Public while Surviving Public Service. It is described as a "how-to guide" for government employees who wish to expose corruption or misconduct in their organization without endangering their careers. In 2009, POGO published The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right , which
7668-449: The Department of Justice. M1 Abrams The M1 Abrams ( / ˈ eɪ b r ə m z / ) is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems ) and named for General Creighton Abrams . Conceived for modern armored ground warfare , it is one of the heaviest tanks in service at nearly 73.6 short tons (66.8 metric tons ). It introduced several modern technologies to
7810-415: The Department of the Interior's new oil royalty valuation policy. The agency released a report in 2000 that said it appeared POGO paid the two employees to influence the Department of the Interior to take actions and make policies that benefited POGO. While calling the payments a "mistake" on POGO's part, U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman disputed the agency's report, saying that it did not provide any evidence that
7952-483: The FBI revealed that they had misplaced thousands of documents related to the investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing . Ashcroft granted a 30-day stay of execution for Timothy McVeigh , the man sentenced to death for the bombing. In July 2001, Ashcroft began flying exclusively by private jet. When questioned about this decision, the Justice Department explained that this course of action had been recommended based on
8094-422: The GM design was generally superior to Chrysler's, offering better armor protection, and better fire control and turret stabilization systems. During testing, the power packs of both designs proved to have issues. The Chrysler gas turbine engine had extensive heat recovery systems in an attempt to improve its fuel efficiency to something similar to a traditional internal combustion engine . This proved not to be
8236-632: The Gulf War in 1991, during Operation Desert Storm. The first Abrams tanks to arrive in Saudi Arabia in August 1990 in the buildup to the war were M1 and IPM1 tanks with 105 mm guns. All but two battalions of 105 mm gun Abrams tanks were replaced by M1A1 tanks prior to the American invasion in January 1991. The U.S. Army deployed a total of 1,956 M1A1s (733 M1A1, 1,233 M1A1HA) to Saudi Arabia to participate in
8378-597: The Iraqi Army only had about 40 operational Abrams left. That month, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale of another 175 Abrams to Iraq. Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite Kata'ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades) were reported to operate M1 Abrams, and released publicity showing the tanks being transported by trucks to take part in the Battle of Mosul . It is not known whether the tanks were captured from ISIL, seized from Iraq's military, or handed over. One Iraqi-operated Abrams has been nicknamed " The Beast " after it became
8520-663: The Leopard 2. As the Abrams entered service, they operated alongside M60A3 within the U.S. military and with other NATO tanks in various Cold War exercises which usually took place in Western Europe, especially West Germany . The exercises were aimed at countering Soviet forces. Adaptations before the Gulf War (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm) gave the vehicle better firepower and Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) protection. The Abrams remained untested in combat until
8662-440: The M1A1s was the destruction of seven T-72s in a point-blank skirmish (less than 50 yards (46 m)) near Mahmoudiyah, about 18 miles (29 km) south of Baghdad, with no U.S. losses. This was in the face of inadequately trained Iraqi tank crews, most of whom had not fired live ammunition in the previous year due to the sanctions then in operation and made no hits at point-blank range. Following lessons learned in Desert Storm,
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#17328519731888804-443: The M256 120 mm smoothbore cannon, improved armor, consisting of depleted uranium and other classified materials, and a CBRN protection system. Production of M1 and M1A1 tanks totaled some 9,000 tanks at a cost of approximately $ 4.3 million per unit. In 1990, a Project On Government Oversight report criticized the M1's high costs and low fuel efficiency in comparison with other tanks of similar power and effectiveness such as
8946-408: The OSC and pleaded guilty to withholding information from Congress. POGO has worked to protect the rights of several specific whistleblowers—including Franz Gayl, who criticized military leaders' decision to not deliver protective armored vehicles called MRAPs to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, who challenged military leaders' depictions of the "rosy" situation on
9088-640: The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) in 1990. Danielle Brian joined POGO as its executive director in 1993. Other watchdog organizations have folded into POGO over the years. In 2012, the Straus Military Reform Project of the Center for Defense Information joined POGO. In 2016, the Center for Effective Government (known as OMB Watch until 2013) folded and became part of POGO. The organization's board of directors includes Harper's Magazine editor Andrew Cockburn , law professor Lia Epperson , former judge Wallace B. Jefferson , lawyer Debra Katz , and political scientist Norman Ornstein . POGO contributed to
9230-470: The Soviet Union and Poland. Polish officials stated that no license-produced T-72 (nicknamed Lion of Babylon ) tanks were finished before destruction of the Iraqi Taji tank plant in 1991. Iraq's T-72s, like most Soviet export designs, lacked night-vision systems and then-modern rangefinders , though they did have some night-fighting tanks with older active infrared systems or floodlights . Very few M1 tanks were hit by enemy fire and none were destroyed as
9372-434: The State Auditor. Missouri Attorney General John Danforth , who was then in his second term, hired Ashcroft as an assistant state attorney general. During his service, Ashcroft shared an office with future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (and, in 2001, Justice Thomas administered Ashcroft's oath of office as U.S. attorney general). In 1976, Danforth retired from the state attorney general post to run for
9514-502: The U.S. Civil War. During his second term, Ashcroft served as chairman of the National Governors Association (1991–92). In 1994 , Ashcroft was elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri, again succeeding John Danforth , who retired from the position. Ashcroft won 59.8% of the vote against Democratic Congressman Alan Wheat . As Senator: In 1998, Ashcroft briefly considered running for U.S. president, but, on January 5, 1999, he decided that he would seek re-election to his Senate seat in
9656-475: The U.S. attorneys struggled to find any deliberate voter fraud schemes, only finding individuals who made mistakes on forms or misunderstood whether they were eligible to vote. Following George W. Bush's re-election, Ashcroft resigned, which took effect on February 3, 2005, after the Senate confirmed White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales as the next attorney general. Ashcroft said in his hand-written resignation letter, dated November 2, "The objective of securing
9798-434: The U.S. for repairs. In May 2008, it was reported that a U.S. M1 tank had also been damaged in Iraq by insurgent fire of a Soviet-made RPG-29 "Vampir", which uses a tandem-charge HEAT warhead to penetrate explosive reactive armor (ERA) as well as composite armor behind it. The U.S. considered the RPG-29 a high threat to armor and refused to allow the newly formed Iraqi Army to buy it, fearing that it would fall into
9940-438: The U.S. would select a common MBT. In reality, the U.S. Army was unwilling to choose a foreign tank unless it was obviously superior in design and cost. In any case, in evaluations the Leopard 2AV was found to meet U.S. requirements but was thought to cost more. The U.S. Army announced in January 1977 that Germany had withdrawn the tank from consideration. Having narrowly averted losing the contract, Chrysler set about improving
10082-426: The United States armored forces, including a multifuel turbine engine , sophisticated Chobham composite armor , a computer fire control system, separate ammunition storage in a blowout compartment , and NBC protection for crew safety. Initial models of the M1 were armed with a 105 mm M68 gun, while later variants feature a license-produced Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44 designated M256 . The M1 Abrams
10224-526: The United States in the coming months. Critics suggested he was trying to distract attention from a drop in the approval ratings of President Bush, who was campaigning for re-election. Groups supporting individual gun ownership praised Ashcroft's support through DOJ for the Second Amendment . He said specifically, "the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to keep and bear arms," expressing
10366-659: The Washington, DC, chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists . POGO won the Non-breaking News Award for its coverage of issues at the Department of Veterans' Affairs ; two Investigative Reporting Awards for its coverage of the revolving door in government and problems at the Department of Justice ; the Series award also for its coverage of the revolving door; and the Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award also for its coverage of
10508-620: The armed forces of Egypt , Kuwait , Saudi Arabia , Australia , Poland and Iraq . The Abrams was first used in combat by the U.S. in the Gulf War . It was later deployed by the U.S. in the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War , as well as by Iraq in the war against the Islamic State , Saudi Arabia in the Yemeni Civil War , and Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine . In 1963,
10650-424: The assumption that the 105 mm gun would probably be the eventual main armament." The tripartite British—American—German gun trials of 1975 produced a general agreement in the U.S. Defense Department that at some future point, a 120 mm gun of some design would be added to the XM1. Apparently anticipating this, Chrysler and GM had both made changes to their tanks during development to make them compatible with
10792-465: The ballot. Lieutenant Governor Roger B. Wilson became governor upon Carnahan's death. Wilson said that should Carnahan be elected, he would appoint his widow, Jean Carnahan , to serve in her husband's place. Mrs. Carnahan stated that, in accordance with her late husband's goal, she would serve in the Senate if voters elected his name. Following these developments, Ashcroft resumed campaigning. Carnahan won
10934-501: The basis for the M104 Wolverine heavy assault bridge. The M1A2 SEPv2 (version 2) added Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS or CROWS II) support, color displays, better interfaces, a new operating system, better front and side armor, and an upgraded transmission for better durability. Further upgrades included depleted uranium armor for all variants, a system overhaul that returns all A1s to like-new condition (M1A1 AIM),
11076-545: The beginning of 2003. Vulnerabilities exposed during urban combat in the Iraq War were addressed with the Tank Urban Survival Kit (TUSK) modifications, including armor upgrades and a gun shield, issued to some M1 Abrams tanks. It added protection in the rear and side of the tank and improved fighting ability and survival ability in urban environments. By December 2006 more than 530 Abrams tanks had been shipped back to
11218-410: The case, as being driven by "oil company congressional lapdogs" bent on hounding oil industry enemies and derailing regulatory reform. In 2003, the Department of Justice filed a civil action against POGO and one of the federal employees, and a U.S. district judge ruled in favor of the agency. POGO appealed the case and went to trial in 2008, where a jury found POGO and the federal employee had violated
11360-424: The case: the engine consumed much more fuel than expected, burning 3.8 US gallons per mile (890 L/100 km). The GM design used a new variable-compression diesel design. By spring 1976, the decision to choose the GM design was largely complete. In addition to offering better overall performance, there were concerns about Chrysler's engine both from a reliability and fuel consumption standpoint. The GM program
11502-667: The committee had ties to either the maker of the pills or the maker of a generic version, but did not announce the conflicts before endorsing the drugs. Both Yaz and Yasmin have been linked to fatal blood clots in some users. In 2012, POGO working with whistleblower retired Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger, advocated for openness regarding toxic water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. From 1953 until at least 1985, U.S. Marines and their families living at Camp Lejeune had used tap water that contained carcinogens and other harmful chemicals leaking from
11644-413: The curtains in June 2005. Ashcroft also held daily prayer meetings. In July 2002, Ashcroft proposed the creation of Operation TIPS , a domestic program in which workers and government employees would inform law enforcement agencies about suspicious behavior they encounter while performing their duties. The program was widely criticized from the beginning, with critics deriding the program as essentially
11786-562: The design work to be done by the government. Under the new framework, contractors would competitively bid their own designs rather than compete solely for the right to manufacture the end product. In January 1973, the U.S. Army issued the XM1 (as the XM815 had been renamed in November 1972) request for proposals . In May 1973, Chrysler Defense and General Motors submitted proposals. Both were armed with
11928-471: The design. Expensive components were replaced with less expensive ones. Chrysler's team also negotiated lower costs from their subcontractors. The price of the redesigned tank's turret especially was decreased, but other improvements came from unexpected places, such as a $ 600 hydraulic oil reservoir replaced with a $ 25 one. Chrysler also submitted a version with a Teledyne AVCR-1360 diesel engine. Chrysler's new bid came to $ 196 million, down from $ 221 million in
12070-573: The dismissal of several managers and eight guards, the resignation of an additional two guards, and ultimately, the cancellation of the U.S. military's contract with ArmorGroup. POGO has conducted numerous investigations into the Los Alamos National Laboratory. LANL has been the subject of several controversies in the past, including employees charging personal expenses to government accounts, lost equipment or documents (including hundreds of computers containing classified information), and
12212-431: The early 1980s for publishing reports on "outrageously overpriced military spending", including a $ 7,600 coffee maker and a $ 436 hammer. These prices were actually an artifact of government accounting rules, and include not just the cost of the equipment but also a portion of the overhead cost of the entire project they were associated with. The organization expanded its scope beyond military spending and changed its name to
12354-462: The effective range of the main gun in the Iraqi tanks was less than 6,600 feet (2,000 m). This meant Abrams tanks could hit Iraqi tanks before the enemy got in range—a decisive advantage in this kind of combat. In friendly fire incidents, the front armor and fore side turret armor survived direct APFSDS hits from other M1A1s. This was not the case for the side armor of the hull and the rear armor of
12496-402: The election 51% to 49%. No politician had ever posthumously won election to the U.S. Senate, although voters had on at least three occasions chosen deceased candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. Ashcroft remains the first and so far only U.S. Senator to have been defeated for re-election by a deceased person. In December 2000, following his Senatorial defeat, Ashcroft was chosen for
12638-414: The end, Ashcroft won 57 percent of the vote and carried 106 counties—then the largest Republican gubernatorial victory in Missouri history. In 1988, Ashcroft won by a larger margin over his Democratic opponent, Betty Cooper Hearnes , the wife of the former governor Warren Hearnes . Ashcroft received 64 percent of the vote in the general election—the largest landslide for governor in Missouri history since
12780-498: The entire tank to be raised or lowered by the driver. The United States team was led by General Motors while the German team consisted of a consortium of firms. The collaboration between the two teams was rocky from the start, with many cultural differences and disagreements about the design hampering progress. Germany favored a tank optimized for the terrain of central Europe while the U.S. attached importance to operating anywhere in
12922-444: The existence of Area 51, however Area 51 was thereafter required to comply with environmental laws. In 2013, the government confirmed that Area 51 exists. POGO released a series of reports from 1995 to 1997 that said the U.S. federal government was owed billions of dollars in unpaid oil royalties from companies that drilled oil from public lands. The reports claimed that the Department of the Interior 's Mineral Management Service had
13064-479: The future. And because the Army's other tanks, the M60 and the upgraded M48 , as well as the tanks of virtually every other NATO nation, used the 105 mm gun, mounting that gun on the XM1 promised to increase standardization within the alliance. Moreover, the continuing development of the new ammunition for the XM1 automatically upgraded every other gun in NATO. For all of these reasons, the XM1's development proceeded "on
13206-559: The government of South Korea a billion dollar airborne radar system. In March 2006, Ashcroft positioned himself as an "anti- Abramoff ". In an hour-long interview, Ashcroft used the word integrity scores of times. In May 2006, based on conversations with members of Congress, key aides and lobbyists, The Hill magazine listed Ashcroft as one of the top 50 "hired guns" (lobbyists) that K Street had to offer. By August 2006, Ashcroft's firm reportedly had 30 clients, many of which made products or technology aimed at homeland security . About
13348-554: The ground in Afghanistan—by sending letters to Congress and the agencies involved. In 1998, POGO, the Department of Justice , and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit under the False Claims Act , suing the largest oil and gas companies operating in the United States. The lawsuit alleged that the companies had defrauded the government by underpaying royalties owed for drilling on federal lands. By 2002, 15 companies had settled, paying
13490-510: The hospital intensive-care unit, to persuade the incapacitated Ashcroft to sign a document to reauthorize the program. Acting Attorney General James Comey alerted FBI Director Robert Mueller III of this plan, and rushed to the hospital, arriving ahead of Gonzales and Card Jr. Ashcroft, "summoning the strength to lift his head and speak", refused to sign. Attempts to reauthorize the program were ended by President Bush when Ashcroft, Comey and Mueller threatened to resign. Following accounts of
13632-725: The hull. In the MBT-70, the loader crewmember would be replaced by a mechanical autoloader and the driver would be located inside the NBC-protected turret with the other two crewmembers. Like the M60A2 MBT and M551 Sheridan light tank then under development, the MBT-70 was armed with a 152 mm gun-launcher that, in addition to firing conventional ammunition, would also fire the Shillelagh missile . A hydropneumatic suspension provided improved cross-country ride quality and also allowed
13774-574: The insurgents' hands. Between 2010 and 2012 the U.S. supplied 140 refurbished M1A1 Abrams tanks to Iraq. In mid-2014, they saw action when the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or Islamic State) launched the June 2014 Northern Iraq offensive . During three months, about one-third of the Iraqi Army's M1 tanks had been damaged or destroyed by ISIL and some were captured by opposing forces. By December 2014,
13916-473: The invasion. Some troops employed short-range anti-tank rockets and fired at the tracks, rear and top. Other tanks were put out of action by engine fires when flammable fuel stored externally in turret racks was hit by small arms fire and spilled into the engine compartment. By March 2005, approximately 80 Abrams tanks had been forced out of action by enemy attacks; 63 were shipped back to the U.S. for repairs, while 17 were damaged beyond repair with 3 of them at
14058-530: The late televangelist Pat Robertson ; he has also been a member of the Federalist Society . His son, Jay Ashcroft , is also a politician, serving as Secretary of State of Missouri since January 2017. John David Ashcroft was born in Chicago on May 9, 1942, the son of homemaker Grace P. (née Larsen) and minister James Robert Ashcroft. His maternal grandparents were Norwegian, while his paternal grandfather
14200-403: The law. The judge ordered POGO to pay only $ 120,000 because he said the organization had acted "in good faith" when they made the payments. However, in 2010, the appeals court found the district judge had made a mistake in his directions to the jury. POGO and the agency went to trial again in 2012, but a mistrial was declared after jurors couldn't come to a unanimous verdict. A month later, in 2013,
14342-690: The lone working tank when taking back the town of Hit in April 2016, destroying enemy fighting positions and IED emplacements. In October 2017, Abrams were used by the Iraqi security forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces (also called Al-Hashd al-Shaabi) in assaults against the Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga in the town of Altun Kupri (also called Prde). It was claimed by Kurdish commanders that at least one Abrams
14484-410: The new tank at 58 short tons (53 t). The original goal of keeping weight under 50 short tons (45 t) was abandoned. At the time, the Pentagon's procurement system was beset with problems being caused by the desire to have the best possible design. This often resulted in programs being canceled due to cost overruns, leaving the forces with outdated systems, as was the case with the MBT-70. There
14626-424: The new tank have a turbine. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld heard arguments from both parties in the afternoon. The Army team spent the night writing briefs and presented them to Rumsfeld the next morning, who then announced a four-month delay. Within days, GM was asked to present a new design with a turbine engine. According to Assistant Secretary for Research and Development Ed Miller, "It became increasingly clear that
14768-419: The only solution which would be acceptable to Clements and Currie was the turbine... It was a political decision that was reached, and for all intents and purposes that decision gave the award to Chrysler since they were the only contractor with a gas turbine." In the meantime, in September 1976 three West German Leopard 2 AV prototypes were belatedly sent to Aberdeen for comparison testing. Germany had signed
14910-471: The original proposal. GM's proposal replaced the diesel engine with an AGT1500 turbine and integrated a turret capable of mounting either the 105 mm or 120 mm gun. Cost growth pushed the tank bid to $ 232 million from $ 208 million. Although the GM team had successfully integrated the turbine, Baer was more impressed by the cost savings introduced by the Chrysler team's redesign. On 12 November 1976,
15052-499: The partially nude female statue of the Spirit of Justice in the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building , where Ashcroft held press conferences, was covered with blue curtains. Department officials long insisted that the curtains were put up to improve the room's use as a television backdrop and that Ashcroft had nothing to do with it. Ashcroft's successor, Alberto Gonzales , removed
15194-470: The payments were improper. In 2000, U.S. Representative Don Young threatened bringing a Contempt of Congress charge against POGO, after the organization refused to comply with a House of Representatives subpoena for documents relating to the payments. Young later withdrew the charge, lacking the votes for passage. The report, hearings, and contempt threat were described by Martin Lobel, an attorney involved in
15336-416: The plaintiffs so they could prove Area 51 existed. The Air Force then retroactively classified the manual, "threatened to prosecute anyone who had it in their possession, and demanded access to all of POGO's files to determine what other 'classified' information POGO possessed," Brian wrote in a signed legal declaration. The court ruled that the plaintiffs' case could not be proved because it could not confirm
15478-432: The position of U.S. attorney general by president-elect George W. Bush . He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 58 to 42, with most Democratic senators voting against him, citing his prior opposition to using busing to achieve school desegregation , and their opposition to Ashcroft's opposition to abortion . At the time of his appointment, he was known to be a member of the Federalist Society . In May 2001,
15620-412: The position that the Second Amendment protects an individual right, unrelated to militia service. In March 2004, the Justice Department under Ashcroft ruled President Bush's domestic intelligence program illegal. Shortly afterward, Ashcroft was hospitalized with acute gallstone pancreatitis . White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and Chief of Staff Andrew Card Jr. went to Ashcroft's bedside in
15762-489: The powers of the U.S. government to fight crime and terrorism, while simultaneously eliminating or curtailing judicial review of these powers for incidents related to domestic terrorism. The bill was leaked and posted to the Internet on February 7, 2003. On May 26, 2004, Ashcroft held a news conference at which he said that intelligence from multiple sources indicated that the terrorist organization, al Qaeda , intended to attack
15904-565: The program, which maintained strong support from Congress and the Pentagon. Responding to some of the alleged issues with the tank in King of the Killing Zone (1989), journalist Orr Kelly wrote that "The truth is close to the opposite." Kelly said the program "ranks as one of the Army's best managed", producing a tank in "a remarkably short time" while avoiding " gold-plating " and utilizing effective competition. Low rate initial production (LRIP) of
16046-415: The purchase and maintenance of office plants. The report also concluded that there was inadequate documentation for $ 203 million in project spending, or 40% of the money spent up to that point. POGO reported that in 1995 it was contacted by a woman who claimed her husband had died as the result of being exposed to toxic waste while working at Area 51 . At the time, the U.S. government denied the existence of
16188-543: The repressive practices of the British Crown that sparked the American Revolution. He wrote that the government asserts it can detain American citizens "not because there is evidence that they have committed a crime, but merely because the government wishes to investigate them for possible wrongdoing". He called it "a painful reminder of some of the most ignominious chapters of our national history". Abdullah Al-Kidd
16330-449: The royalty in-kind program was terminated, and MMS was split into three different bureaus. In 2009, POGO conducted an investigation into ArmorGroup , a private security contractor in charge of protecting the U.S. embassy in Kabul , Afghanistan . POGO uncovered and released documents, photos, and videos depicting drunken behavior, nudity, and hazing among the guards. POGO's investigation led to
16472-461: The safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." In May 2005, Ashcroft laid the groundwork for a strategic consulting firm, The Ashcroft Group, LLC. He started operation in the fall of 2005 and as of March 2006 had twenty-one clients, turning down two for every one accepted. In 2005 year-end filings, Ashcroft's firm reported collecting $ 269,000, including $ 220,000 from Oracle Corporation , which won Department of Justice approval of
16614-405: The service and its contractors to favor the Army's standard M68 105 mm gun over Germany's 120 mm Rheinmetall Rh-120 smoothbore gun for the XM1. To begin with, the 105 mm gun was "the smallest, lightest, and least costly gun adequate for the job." Indeed, new kinetic energy ammunition for the weapon then under development by the Army promised to extend the gun's usefulness well into
16756-582: The successful effort to cancel Department of Energy 's Superconducting Super Collider project, which had already lost a 1992 vote in the House of Representatives as its cost estimates ballooned from $ 4.4 billion to $ 12 billion. In June 1993, POGO publicized a Department of Energy Inspector General report it had received in draft form from a whistleblower. The Inspector General investigated $ 500,000 in questionable expenses over three years, including $ 12,000 for Christmas parties, $ 25,000 for catered lunches, and $ 21,000 for
16898-490: The suspects had committed a crime. The US Supreme Court agreed on October 18, 2010, to hear the case. On May 31, 2011, the US Supreme Court unanimously overturned the lower court's decision, saying that al-Kidd could not personally sue Ashcroft, as he was protected by limited immunity as a government official. A majority of the justices held that al-Kidd could not have won his case on the merits, because Ashcroft did not violate his Fourth Amendment rights. Ashcroft has been
17040-502: The tank design, the United States and Germany ended their MBT-70 partnership in 1970. The U.S. Army began work on an austere version of the MBT-70, named XM803 . Systems were simplified or eliminated altogether and the unreliable autoloader was improved. These changes were ultimately insufficient to allay concerns about the tank's cost. Congress canceled the XM803 in December 1971 but permitted
17182-606: The turret, as both areas were penetrated on at least two occasions by unintentional strikes by depleted uranium ammunition during the Battle of Norfolk . During the Waco siege in 1993, two M1A1 Abrams tanks were borrowed from the military and deployed by the FBI against the Branch Davidians . The M1A2 was a further improvement of the M1A1, with a commander's independent thermal viewer, weapon station, position navigation equipment, and
17324-449: The vehicle was approved in May 1979. In February 1982, General Dynamics Land Systems Division (GDLS) purchased Chrysler Defense, after Chrysler built over 1,000 M1s. A total of 3,273 M1 Abrams tanks were produced during 1979–1985 and first entered U.S. Army service in 1980. Production at the government-owned, GDLS-operated Lima Army Tank Plant in Lima, Ohio , was joined by vehicles built at
17466-467: The vote, winning 96 of Missouri's 114 counties. In 1983, Ashcroft wrote the leading amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court Case Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. , supporting the use of video cassette recorders for time shifting of television programs. Ashcroft was elected governor in 1984 and re-elected in 1988 , becoming the first Republican in Missouri history elected to two consecutive terms. In 1984, his opponent
17608-525: The war. Of the nine Abrams tanks destroyed, seven were destroyed by friendly fire and two intentionally destroyed to prevent capture by the Iraqi Army. No M1s were lost to enemy tank fire. Some others took minor combat damage, with little effect on their operational readiness. The M1A1 could kill other tanks at ranges in excess of 8,200 feet (2,500 m). This range was crucial in combat against previous generation tanks of Soviet design in Desert Storm, as
17750-843: The weapons systems that POGO has been critical of include the littoral combat ship , the F/A-22 fighter aircraft , and the F-35 joint strike fighter aircraft . On the other hand, POGO has supported the production of the A-10 aircraft for its relative effectiveness and inexpensiveness compared to what POGO considers more wasteful weapons. In 2012, the Straus Military Reform Project of the Center for Defense Information moved to POGO with director and military analyst Winslow Wheeler . Wheeler retired in 2015. POGO, along with several other public interest groups,
17892-458: The world. The Germans had reservations about the Shillelagh missile and developed a 120 mm high-velocity gun as an alternative. Perhaps the most contentious disagreement, never fully resolved, concerned the measurement system to be used in drafting. Germany became concerned with the excessive weight of the tank. In light of growing costs, delays and overall uncertainty as to the soundness of
18034-527: Was Irish. He grew up in Willard, Missouri , where his father was a minister in an Assemblies of God congregation in nearby Springfield , served as president of Evangel University (1958–1974), and jointly as President of Central Bible College (1958–1963). Ashcroft graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1960. He attended Yale University , where he was a member of the St. Elmo Society , graduating in 1964. He received
18176-599: Was a result of miscalculation by LANL's statisticians and did not actually exist, but the investigation did lead to heavy criticism of the plant by the DOE for security flaws and weaknesses that the DOE claimed to have found. Starting in 2011, POGO conducted an investigation into conflicts of interest of an advisory committee at the Food and Drug Administration that was reviewing the Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills. POGO found that four members of
18318-407: Was a strong movement within the Army to get a new design within budget to prevent the MBT-70 experience from repeating itself. For the new design, the Army set the design-to-unit cost at no more than $ 507,790 (equivalent to $ 3,699,000 in 2023). The Pentagon's approach to control of research and development was modified with the XM1. Previous acquisition strategy called for a significant amount of
18460-676: Was also slightly cheaper overall at $ 208 million compared to $ 221 million for Chrysler. In July 1976, the Army prepared to inform Congress of the decision to move ahead with the GM design. All that was required was the final sign-off by the U.S Secretary of Defense , Donald Rumsfeld . On 20 July 1976, United States Secretary of the Army Martin Hoffmann and a group of generals visited Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Clements and Director of Defense Research and Engineering Malcolm Currie on their decision. They were surprised when Clements and Currie criticized their decision and demanded that
18602-471: Was armed with the license-built M68A1 version of the 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun. The tank featured the first-of-its-kind Chobham armor . The M1 Abrams was the first to use this advanced armor. It consisted of an arrangement of metal and ceramic plates. An improved model called the IPM1 was produced briefly in 1984 and contained upgrades to armor and other small improvements. A number of considerations had led
18744-462: Was canceled, the Army has opted to continue maintaining and operating the M1 series for the foreseeable future by upgrading optics, armor, and firepower. The M1 Abrams entered service in 1980 and serves as the main battle tank of the United States Army and formerly of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) until the decommissioning of all USMC tank battalions in 2021. The export modification is used by
18886-556: Was created by the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act. When POGO updated its database in 2010, it was reported that the organization had "found 642 instances since 1995 of misconduct by the top 100 firms, resulting in $ 18.7 billion in penalties." In 2004, POGO filed a lawsuit against then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft for illegally retroactively classifying documents critical of the Federal Bureau of Investigation . The classification came to light after Sibel Edmonds , an FBI translator, discovered that intercepted memos relevant to
19028-638: Was destroyed by the Peshmerga. Canada and Denmark deployed Leopard 1 and 2 MBTs that were specially modified to operate in the relatively flat and arid conditions of southwestern Afghanistan. In late 2010, at the request of Regional Command Southwest , the U.S. Marine Corps deployed a small detachment of 14 M1A1 Abrams tanks from Delta Company, 1st Tank Battalion , 1st Marine Division (Forward), to southern Afghanistan in support of operations in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. Saudi Abrams tanks saw service in
19170-455: Was determined that the tankers at Fort Bliss had discovered that they could throw the vehicle directly from acceleration into reverse, a tactically advantageous maneuver called the "bow tie". Chrysler resolved this by installing a device that prevented this. The problems found during testing were easily surmounted. Critics of the M1 program emerged in the early 1980s, particularly the newly formed Project on Military Procurement (PMP) (later renamed
19312-474: Was developed from the failed joint American- West German MBT-70 project that intended to replace the dated M60 tank . There are three main operational Abrams versions: the M1, M1A1 , and M1A2 , with each new iteration seeing improvements in armament, protection, and electronics. The Abrams was to be replaced in U.S. Army service by the XM1202 Mounted Combat System , but because that project
19454-675: Was held in a maximum security prison for 16 days, and in supervised release for 13 months. Al-Kidd was born Lavoni T. Kidd in 1973 in Wichita, Kansas . When he converted to Islam as a student at the University of Idaho , where he was a prominent football player, he changed his name. He asserts that Ashcroft violated his civil liberties as an American citizen, as he was treated like a terrorist and not allowed to consult an attorney. Al-Kidd's lawyers say Ashcroft, as US attorney general, encouraged authorities after 9/11 to arrest potential suspects as material witnesses when they lacked probable cause to believe
19596-434: Was hired by the government of Qatar to carry out a compliance and regulatory review of Qatar's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework, to help challenge accusations of supporting terrorism by its neighbors, following a regional blockade , as well as claims by U.S. President Donald Trump . In June 2018, Ashcroft was reportedly hired by Najib Razak among other top U.S. lawyers to defend him in
19738-467: Was involved in the investigation and trial of Scott Bloch , ex-head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). Bloch was accused by former OSC employees of ignoring and dismissing hundreds of whistleblower complaints, removing language guaranteeing protection against sexual orientation discrimination from OSC's website and official documents, and "relocating" several of his own employees who came forward with these allegations. When these accusations led to
19880-469: Was one of those charged, for his part in financing and promoting Chong Glass/Nice Dreams, a company started by his son Paris. Of the 55 individuals charged as a result of the operations, only Chong was given a prison sentence after conviction (nine months in a federal prison, plus forfeiting $ 103,000 and a year of probation). The other 54 individuals were given fines and home detentions. While the DOJ denied that Chong
20022-526: Was the Democratic Lieutenant Governor Ken Rothman . The campaign was so negative on both sides that a reporter described the contest as "two alley cats [scrapping] over truth in advertising". In his campaign ads, Ashcroft showed the contrast between his rural-base and the supporters of his urban-based opponent from St. Louis . Democrats did not close ranks on primary night. The defeated candidate Mel Carnahan endorsed Rothman. In
20164-440: Was treated any differently from the other defendants, critics thought the government was trying to make an example of him. Chong's experience as a target of Ashcroft's sting operation is the subject of Josh Gilbert's feature-length documentary a/k/a Tommy Chong , which premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival . In a pre-sentencing brief, the Department of Justice specifically cited Chong's entertainment career as
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