By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer
June 19, 2007
WASHINGTON - The president of the government's legal aid program
misled Congress when she denied that her first-class airfare
to a conference in Ireland saddled the program with excessive
costs, an internal report has concluded.
The inspector general for the Legal Services Corp., Kirt West,
said he regarded the misleading statements seriously enough
that he began discussions with the Justice Department about
a criminal investigation.
West said he dropped the idea because he could not prove the
organization's president, Helaine Barnett, knew at the time
that her statements were inaccurate even though her husband
and her top assistant were involved in upgrading her tickets.
Barnett said in a statement she promptly corrected the record "when
all facts were known to me," and personally paid the $1,047
cost beyond the government-approved fare "even though
I had never authorized the higher cost ticket."
Frank Strickland, an Atlanta attorney who is chairman of the
corporation's board, said the report concluded "there
was no evidence of intentional misstatement of facts." He
called Barnett's original statements "an innocent mistake
by those involved" and said he retained confidence in
her.
West, the internal watchdog for the legal assistance program
for the poor, concluded that two written statements Barnett
made to Congress last year "contained statements and representations
that were materially false or misleading and omitted material
facts."
He took exception to Barnett's insistence that her coach ticket
was upgraded to first class because of her large number of
frequent flier miles, and to her assertion that the anti-poverty
program paid less than the government rate for coach fare.
West said Barnett's reservations went through a series of
cancellations, changes and re-bookings to obtain the upgrade
for the June 2005 Ireland trip.
"This appears to have been done specifically for the
purpose of getting an immediate upgrade to first class," West
said.
Legal Services Corp. is a congressionally financed program
that funds local legal service organizations that provide free
lawyers for the poor. West provided his report to Congress,
and The Associated Press obtained it from lawmakers.
AP reported last year that top officials at the program, including
Barnett, used limousine services, enjoyed $14 "Death By
Chocolate" desserts and conducted board meetings in an
upscale Washington hotel instead of the corporation's headquarters
board room. At the same time, poor people were being turned
away for lack of resources.
Amid congressional criticism, the corporation changed its
policies to curtail top officials' spending. Among the excesses
cited in the AP stories were Barnett's cab rides during the
same Ireland trip in June 2005.
The inspector general's report determined that Barnett's husband,
Victor Barnett, intervened and directed Barnett's executive
assistant, Karen Dozier, to upgrade Barnett's ticket to first
class for her flight to Ireland. Victor Barnett does not work
for Legal Services Corp.
The report included the transcript of Victor Barnett's voice
message to Dozier asking her to arrange the upgrade "so
she can be comfortable and get some sleep that night."
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said, "It's hard to see
how it serves those who are down on their luck, and in need
of legal aid, for the president of the Legal Services Corp.
to take a charmed trip to Ireland, traveling first-class at
taxpayer expense.
"The report also found that the corporation president
has made false or misleading statements to Congress," Grassley
said. "The record needs to be corrected immediately."
Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., who now heads the subcommittee
with jurisdiction over Legal Services Corp., said it was unacceptable
to give false testimony to Congress. "I am hopeful that
Ms. Barnett will provide a clear explanation to Congress about
the misstatements in her testimony," she said.
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