October 4, 2010

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Editor's note. The following was released Friday by the office of Congressman Chris Smith (R-N.J.), chairman of the House Pro-Life Caucus.

Congressman Chris Smith

WASHINGTON, DC – The ranking U.S. congressman on the House Africa panel called an inspector general's (IG) report issued this week regarding allegations that the Obama Administration had illegally funded groups seeking to alter Kenya's abortion policy with changes to the constitution "poorly researched, superficial, incomplete and a whitewash."

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said: "This was not a well-researched investigation. We had expected the truth and nothing else. We had hoped the IG would dig deep for the facts. This is the most superficial report I've seen in my 30 years in Congress."

At issue was whether U.S. taxpayer funds were used contrary to American law that prohibits "lobbying for or against abortion" in other countries.

"With this poorly researched, incomplete audit, we still don't know," Smith said.

According to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) IG, a whopping $61.2 million--$12.6 million specifically related to the constitution reform process--was given to eight prime recipients and 86 sub-recipients.

While the IG "did find evidence that USAID" had spent taxpayers funds to "achieve a yes vote"--which in and of itself, according to Smith, was illegal because the Kenyan constitution alters abortion policy--the IG says he did not find any evidence of "direct lobbying."

"Again with this incomplete audit, we just don't know," he said.

Smith pointed out the "superficiality of the audit is easily understood" by the IG's answer to the question of whether any nongovernmental organization (NGO) receiving U.S. funding even had a public position with respect to abortion.

"Incredibly the IG said they conducted interviews and Internet searches with several of the grantees and concluded that 'the organizations listed above indicated that they do not have a position with respect to abortion.' What a credibility-buster that is," Smith said. "There is no doubt U.S. funds flowed to highly visible pro-abortion groups. Who is the IG kidding?"

One organization--the Federation of Woman Lawyers Kenya (FIDA-Kenya)--is among the most active pro-abortion organizations in the country. According to numerous press accounts FIDA-Kenya helped draft and lobby for the Reproductive Health and Rights Bill of 2008 in the Kenyan Parliament which sought to legalize abortion. That legislation failed.

FIDA-Kenya got over $85,000 from the U.S. government to engage in the constitution rewrite.

In addition to getting it "absolutely wrong" on FIDA-Kenya, the IG misrepresented the pro-abortion positions of several other NGOs including the African Woman and Child Feature Service and the Women in Law and Development in Africa.

The website of African Woman and Child Features Service, a media non-governmental organization, shows that it seeks to increase media coverage about abortion and "comprehensive reproductive health rights" in Kenya.

Women in Law and Development in Africa, FIDA-Kenya, and the African Woman and Child Features Service all signed onto a petition to members of the Kenyan Parliament advocating for changes to the abortion-related provisions in the draft constitution that would liberalize Kenya's abortion laws.

Moreover, Smith said that after he had received a copy of a preliminary audit--which he said was also egregiously flawed--the congressman met with USAID IG Donald Gambatesa in Smith's Washington office on June 30, 2010.

"The IG said his investigator did a 'Google search' to determine whether U.S.-funded NGOs had any position on abortion," Smith said. "A Google search? I was shocked. That's it?

Smith said he then handed the IG evidence from major news outlets that clearly showed that NGO's, including FIDA-Kenya, had strong, very public, pro-abortion positions. In response the IG told Smith the work of his investigator was "embarrassing."

"This final audit is a major embarrassment as well," Smith said.

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Part Four
Part One
Part Two