Official: Stripes channeled money to DOD program

Official: Stripes channeled money to DOD program
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, October 25, 2007

ARLINGTON, Va. — Stars and Stripes served as a conduit for money to promote America Supports You, but the newspaper did not spend any of its own funds on the program, a Stripes official confirmed on Tuesday.

In May, The New York Times reported that the Defense Department Inspector General’s Office was looking into whether America Supports You had moved money improperly.

The review has prompted two audits, one of which is looking at Stripes’ expenditures for America Supports You.

On Oct. 19, Stars and Stripes obtained documents showing the paper had awarded a $499,000 delivery order to the public relations firm Susan Davis International to promote America Supports You.

~snip~

Asked why appropriated funds were funneled through Stars and Stripes, the official explained that the procurement process can be “laborious” and the newspaper already had an agreement with Susan Davis International that could be expanded to include America Supports You.

~snip~

However, a Defense Department policy on nonappropriated funds says that such monies “will not replace or supplement appropriations for public affairs” and other programs that are outside the nonappropriated funds entity’s purpose.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49759