Scrutiny of border wall project a must

[Elderberry]

Houston Chronicle By Mary Inman March 19, 2018

Last week, President Trump visited San Diego to review prototypes of his long-awaited border wall. If recent history is any guide, it is not just the height and width of these models that should have been scrutinized, but also what safeguards are in place to protect against fraud and waste of taxpayer dollars by the contractors and officials entrusted with building the wall.

A decade ago, the Department of Homeland Security and Hidalgo County embarked on a joint project to repair aging levees along the Rio Grande, while also building a border fence at key sections of the Mexico-U.S. border. $174 million was invested into the project. Homeland Security received a 15-foot vertical concrete wall, flanked in places with an additional 18-foot metal fence. In January, Texas’ U.S. Sen. John Cornyn heralded the project as a model on which Trump’s border wall should be based, calling it a “win-win.”

Despite such outward appearances, it seems it’s more of a win-lose. According to a lawsuit brought by Hidalgo County, the project has been rife with fraud, waste and corruption. The lawsuit details “a pattern of racketeering activity,” including contractors paying bribes to receive lucrative contracts and a contractor who did little work on the project but instead served as “a kickback vehicle and money laundering machine.” No estimates have been given on the amount of taxpayer dollars that may have been misspent. (Portions of the dispute now appear to be headed to federal court. Last month, after a state court judge dismissed some of its claims, the county voluntarily dismissed its bribery and racketeering claims and it is poised to refile them in federal court.)

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Inman-Scrutiny-of-border-wall-project-a-must-12761015.php

[LauraTXNM]

Oh, this is just lovely!  Thanks for sharing this.

[Chosen Daughter]

Yet politicians are pushing to add a tunnel under the Hudson River.  Oh that is so important.  Thankfully Trump opposes that.  But they are working hard to add trillions to the national debt.

Yep, scale down border wall but fund a tunnel under the river.  Shows the concern doesn't it?  Oh and of course we need funding for Schumers pet projects.  Low income housing for the illegal immigrants in California.