McCaskill calls for Army investigation into contractor rules violations

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) called for the U.S. Army to investigate reports of misconduct by a police-training contractor in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

In a letter McCaskill sent Army Secretary John McHugh on Tuesday, she pointed to reports of a bar brawl, loud parties, drug and alcohol abuse and fraud, among the allegations against Jorge Scientific Corp. in Afghanistan, as well as uniformed and civilian Army officials.

“Given the importance of the police training mission in Afghanistan, swift and aggressive action to ensure that these allegations are fully investigated and the contractor and U.S. personnel involved are held accountable is imperative,” McCaskill wrote.

McCaskill said the allegations surfaced this week against the Virginia-based contractor, which has been paid nearly $1 billion to conduct counterinsurgency training for the Afghan police forces in Kabul and Kandahar.

Jorge Scientific employees are seen in an Internet cellphone video under the influence of drugs and alcohol, which is against Army contractor rules, and former employees have filed complaints that drug and alcohol use was frequent at loud parties.

"The shocking abuses by government contractors described in these complaints are outrageous and something that should offend every taxpayer," McCaskill said in a statement Tuesday. "The only silver lining here is that I believe this alleged misconduct will add fuel to my fight to crack down on the dangerous failures in the effort to train the Afghan police force.”

McCaskill also mentioned allegations of misconduct, which went unnoticed by Army officials overseeing the contractor, that Jorge Scientific employees forged paperwork so individuals could illegally obtain weapons, including grenades.

McCaskill called for “appropriate criminal, civil or administrative action” against Jorge Scientific, if the Army finds it warranted.

“I'm going to fight to make sure this company, and government officials who've failed in their oversight responsibilities, are held accountable," said McCaskill, the chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security subcommittee on Contracting Oversight.

McCaskill has introduced the Comprehensive Contingency Contacting Reform Act, which aims to cut down on waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars by government contractors.

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