A watchdog out of Trump's grasp unleashes wave of coronavirus audits

[babylonsister]

A watchdog out of Trump's grasp unleashes wave of coronavirus audits
The Government Accountability Office is moving quickly to conduct oversight — and it's got more protection than other Trump targets.
By KYLE CHENEY
04/20/2020 04:30 AM EDT


Lawmakers handed President Donald Trump $2 trillion in coronavirus relief — and then left town without activating any of the powerful new oversight tools meant to hold his administration accountable.

But with little fanfare, Congress’ independent, in-house watchdog is preparing a blizzard of audits that will become the first wide-ranging check on Trump’s handling of the sprawling national rescue effort.

And even as Trump has gone to war against internal watchdogs in his administration, the Government Accountability Office remains largely out of the president’s grasp because of its home in the legislative branch.

The GAO has quickly taken advantage of its perch, exploring the early missteps inherent in launching a multitrillion-dollar law that touches every facet of American life. By the end of April, at least 30 CARES Act reviews and audits — "engagements," per GAO lingo — are expected to be underway, according to interviews with senior investigators.

Topics will range from the government’s handling of coronavirus testing to its distribution of medical equipment, and from the nation’s food supply to nursing home infections and any missteps in distributing the emergency cash payments that began landing in millions of Americans’ bank accounts this week. The office’s top fraud investigator said it’s already received a complaint about a check landing in the account of a deceased person.

“We’re moving forward very quickly,” said Angela Nicole Clowers, chief of the GAO’s health care unit. “We’re an existing institution and have a lot of institutional knowledge about all these programs. It gives us sort of a leg up.”

more...

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/20/watchdog-trump-coronavirus-audits-192272

[empedocles]

1. Good to know

[Alex4Martinez]

2. Please check Ruth's Chris Steakhouse claims and distribute the $20M to small businesses. nt

[aggiesal]

18. $20M is estimated to cover about ...

5 weeks of payroll for Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, maybe a little bit more.

https://realmoney.thestreet.com/investing/stocks/ruth-s-stakes-its-claim-to-cares-loans-and-likely-won-t-be-alone-15293192

[Faux pas]

3. Kickin' with gusto!

[DBoon]

4. Hope they are looking at confiscation of medical equipment by the Feds

nt

[crickets]

23. +1000000

[lagomorph777]

30. The exact opposite of executing their responsibility. Intentional homicide.

This is going to get very ugly.

[Iliyah]

5. You have Mnuchin who claims it was his idea about . .

shithole signing the stimulus checks. Then I saw a title article that treason barr will take the fall for the disastrous coronavirus rollout. Republicans are still covering up for him.

Shithole is inciting protesters to go against life saving methods in the pandemic. Anti-government projections. He fires the AGs. PPP runs out of money for small business and a restaurant chain was able to secure a 20 million loan that it's does not have to payback.

Meanwhile, Senate republicans say no the additional monies for SNAP and stimulus for people in need during the pandemic. 22 million and more out of a job.

And there is much much more . . .

[Scarsdale]

8. Did the Mormon Church get

$56 million? They have $100 BILLION of their own money set aside already. Give that to small business, or unemployed people. Are these religious freaks hanging on to tRump for handouts? Enquiring minds want to know.

[Ferrets are Cool]

40. I think it went to the Universities. nt

[Laelth]

6. Good. Thank you for posting. n/t

-Laelth

[aggiesal]

7. It's all fake news ...

First thing out of Pendejo45's mouth whenever the reports are released.

[calimary]

21. I like that, aggiesal! Pendejo45!

[rurallib]

9. Boy this is the kind of news that gives us hope! Thanks!

[malaise]

10. Great news

Rec

[notdarkyet]

11. People who have taken money that is not intended for them should return it before april30

Honesty used to be valued. Now it’s greed. But this time you are being examined. It’s not the governments money it’s the taxpayers you are ripping off. Do the right thing and give it back.

[Chemisse]

12. I think confiscating supplies from blue states and giving them to red states might be frowned upon.

It would be great to see some consequences for that!

[lagomorph777]

31. Criminal consequences

[Chemisse]

34. That would be ideal, and heartily deserved. n/t

[coeur_de_lion]

13. Good stuff thank you for posting

[NoRoadUntravelled]

14. Good News.

[Harker]

15. So much for Trumpsky being the oversight.

Ask a few 'nasty' questions, and something will turn up.

[Kitchari]

16. K&R n/t

[orangecrush]

17. Kick

[Hotler]

19. This sentence disturbs me. a bit.

"Lawmakers handed President Donald Trump $2 trillion in coronavirus relief — and then left town without activating any of the powerful new oversight tools meant to hold his administration accountable.

Nancy, Chuck, Why? You should know better than to leave the repugs alone with unattended money. geeeeezzzzz

[Catch2.2]

35. Thank you!

Did no one else read this sentence? What the hell??! How do you just give the Orange Shitstain $2 Trillion and walk away?!! Is there an explanation for this?

[summer_in_TX]

43. Good analysis of the problems in the LA Times.

Oversight of $2-trillion coronavirus relief act hasn’t gotten off the ground

Coronavirus is hampering a lot of things. Plus meetings that aren't in person aren't legal and the Republicans have filed complaints over two Zoom meetings.

…the committee Pelosi wants to set up can’t get to work until Congress approves the group’s existence through a vote. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said the panel was redundant, suggesting Republicans may block any move to approve it by unanimous consent. That would mean Pelosi would have to wait until Congress is back in session.

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-04-20/oversight-2-trillion-coronavirus-relief-package

[Six117]

20. This is good news

But, what difference will it make to the group of thugs and criminals who routinely "flout" (that's break the law and commit crimes -for the rest of us) the law? The audits and oversight will amount to nothing more than finger wagging as they SMASH and DEVOUR the soul of this country.

These things need more bite.

[calimary]

27. Welcome to DU, Six117.

I'm still pissed off at all the lunkhead trumpers in their stupid big-ass pickup trucks blocking traffic in places like Denver so ambulances couldn't get through the traffic to get some dying person to the hospital. I've fantasized about what I'd do as governor, if not president, in that case. Visions of the big-ass military helicopters we saw in the war coverage being dispatched to hover overhead, troops coming in, ordering the drivers and passengers OUT of their vehicles, then hooking up the trucks and AIR-LIFTING THEM THE FUCK OUTTA THERE! And there'd be a fifty-thousand-dollar fine, PER vehicle to cough up. But that's a penalty. That's NOT some "fee" you have to pay in order to get your fucking truck back. You forfeit that truck. You've gotta pay with THAT, TOO.

Maybe if the penalties are harsh enough, at least a few of those numbskulls might think twice - ? (But since they're numbskulls to begin with, they probably don't think, PERIOD. Thinking is just for us dumb libruls...)

[Ferrets are Cool]

39. That is a nice fantasy you have going there Calimary...

may I borrow it and give myself a smile for a bit?

[calimary]

41. Use it and be well, my friend!

Glad it gives you a grin!

I play this mind game with myself about "What I Would Do If I Were President." There's a second game I like: "What I Would Do If I Ran MSNBC."

Both are quite fun! I'm currently picking a Cabinet and top advisors (like Malcolm Nance for National Security Advisor), for the first one , and thinking who I'd move into Andrea Mitchell's slot, and who'd get "Meet the Press" and "MTP Daily."

[Ferrets are Cool]

42. You are going to laugh when I say this, but I have been doing the "if I were president" thing

since Nixon was in office.

[calimary]

44. You were advanced. Took me awhile to get there!

I’m new to the game.

If I were the incoming president, I’d invite priests, ministers, rabbis, sisters, mullahs, tribal chieftains, Jim Wallace of Sojourners, and what the hell? Even Marianne Williamson to come and pray over this White House. And do smudging ceremonies for purification of all the bad hoodoo that WILL be left behind. And maybe even an exorcism for good measure!

And I’d want a new chair for behind the Resolute Desk.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

22. But we could have lost 2 mill. Still think # was bogus

From start. Invented for him to say he came under.

[nilesobek]

25. It's a really old marketing trick. 100$ pair of socks "on sale," for a mere 30$.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

29. Yes! Like Joseph A Banks 2 for one deal. I remember that day

When just out of the blue they decided to announce these numbers. Just seemed too staged

[crickets]

24. Good. K&R

[calimary]

26. GOOD!!!

[Blue Owl]

28. You know with those tiny hands tRump doesn't have much of a grasping range

n/t

[DemoTex]

32. Sic 'em!

Good dog!

[Marie Marie]

33. Hope they include investigating how much stimulus money Trump and family

stole for themselves.

[RRDrummer]

36. It's just another ticket

To the shit show that is the Trump administration

[SayItLoud]

37. And we expect all the spending agencies to cooperate? Hummmm, I don't. nt.

[Ferrets are Cool]

38. Audits are great. Doing something postitive with them is another thing altogether.

This MFer hasn't been held accountable for ANY of the crimes he has committed. What evidence is there that the GAO will have any effect at all on this criminal regime?