WASHINGTON, March 19 (UPI) -- The Pentagon inspector general has found "no evidence" a controversial U.S. public relations firm was hired to bolster the case for the Iraq war four years ago.
The Defense Department IG undertook an investigation into the hiring of the Rendon Group by the Pentagon at the request of Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) more than a year ago.
"We did not find evidence that the DOD hired the Rendon Group to deliberately create conditions that would convince the American people and Congress that Iraq was an imminent threat," states the summary of the classified report, dated March 6.
The Rendon Group, based in Washington and Boston, provides strategic communications, media analysis, news monitoring and crisis management services. It is best known for its role in helping organize the Iraqi National Congress, the Ahmed Chalabi-led group that lobbied heavily for the ouster of Saddam Hussein for the decade leading up to the Iraq invasion.
Among other defense contracts, the Army in 2005 hired the Rendon Group for a one year, $6.4 million "strategic communications operations support" contract.
The short executive summary suggests the IG was not able to fully answer the 24 questions outlined by Jones: "As part of our review we attempted to obtain answers to questions, which focused on why the Office of the Secretary of Defense hired the Rendon Group," among other things.
