Rep. Berman stated that the “dramatic revelations brought forth by Mr. Ghoshroy in his letter helped confirm some nagging suspicions and explain certain disturbing peculiarities about the report” that he and Senator Grassley had highlighted in their 2002 press release (http://www.house.govGrassley_GAO_Study_Questions.html) 

following the publication of the initial GAO report.  Rep. Berman had also raised many of these issues in several letters (http://www.house.gov/berman/newsroom/Berman-Walker_letters.pdf) to the Comptroller General over a period of many months.

“The many revelations in Mr. Ghoshroy’s letter speak directly to the integrity of the General Accounting Office as well as the efficacy of the missile defense program and they must be further investigated,” stated Berman.  He continued, “Toward that end I am sending Mr. Ghoshroy’s letter to the Armed Services Committee and the Government Reform Committee and urging them to launch an investigation.”

“It is clear that Mr. Ghoshroy has spent years trying to bring this information to light through the regular GAO chain of command and has agonized over his decision to publicly come forward via this letter,” explained Berman. He added, “He deserves credit for his bravery, his thoroughness, and his perseverance.  While his letter will put him at odds with many of his colleagues within the GAO, it shows that he is dedicated to GAO’s mission of accountability in government.”

Mr. Ghoshroy’s revelations may also have implications for the whistleblower lawsuit filed by Dr. Nira Schwartz (www.niraschwartz.com) that originally spurred Berman and Grassley to request the study in the first place.  This lawsuit was stifled after the Attorney General evoked the State Secrets privilege over the written objections of Rep. Berman and Senator Grassley.

(http://www.house.gov/berman/newsroom/State_Secret_Privilege.pdf)  Were her lawsuit to be successful, it might be one of the largest qui tam cases in history.