‘SWAMPY’

DEA Chief Accused of Corrupt Hiring Practices in Watchdog Probe

“Contracts should never be awarded based on who you know.”

Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram is being investigated by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General over $4.7 million that was allegedly improperly used in no-bid contracts to hire Milgram’s buddies. At least a dozen people, many of whom Milgram knew from her days as a New York University professor and New Jersey attorney general, have reportedly been hired using these contracts. The DEA declined the Associated Press’s request to interview Milgram or address the investigation specifically, releasing a statement instead. “DEA has acted with urgency to set a new vision, target the global criminal networks responsible for hundreds of thousands of American deaths, raise public awareness about how just one pill can kill, and promote and recruit hundreds of highly talented people,” it said, adding that the changes were achieved through an “extensive and multi-part process.” Scott Amey, general counsel of the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight, said federal contracting isn’t necessarily intended to bypass the standard government hiring process. “Some of these deals look very swampy,” Amey told the Associated Press. “Contracts should never be awarded based on who you know.”