A. B. Krongard

A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard, full name Alvin Bernard Krongard, [ [http://www.nndb.com/people/013/000162524/ Howard J. Krongard ] ] was the Executive Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He was appointed by George Tenet on March 16, 2001.

The Executive Director is the third ranking position within the CIA and the incumbent functions essentially as the Chief Operating Officer of the Agency. For three years prior, Krongard had served as Counselor to the DCI.

A longtime consultant to DCIs, Krongard joined the Agency full time in February 1998, following a 29-year business career. During his private sector career, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Alex. Brown & Sons, the nation’s oldest investment banking firm, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Bankers Trust.

Krongard received an A.B. degree (1958) with honors from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law. While at Princeton, Krongard played lacrosse. In 1980, he was inducted as a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. [cite web|url = http://www.uslacrosse.org/museum/hofbios/krongarda.phtml|title = Krongard, Alvin B. |accessdate = 2007-08-07|publisher = US Lacrosse, Inc.|quote = Krongard . . . was captain of every team on which he ever played.] He served three years of active duty as an infantry officer with the United States Marine Corps.

Krongard resigned from the CIA shortly after the arrival of DCI Porter Goss in September 2004. While at the CIA, he was the connection between Erik Prince of Blackwater Security Consulting and the CIA. Through his influence, Blackwater was able to receive its first black contract.

On March 18, 2005, Krongard was appointed as an outside US director to the Global Board of Directors organized to oversee and coordinate the worldwide operations of DLA Piper, one of the world’s leading law firms.

Family

Krongard is the brother of State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/18/AR2007091800799.html?hpid=topnews State IG Accused of Averting Probes - washingtonpost.com ] ] Unlike "Buzzy", Howard does not use his nickname ("Cookie") professionally.

Krongard is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and resides in Baltimore, Maryland and McLean, Virginia. He was married to the late Patricia A. Lion and has three adult sons including Alexander Lion Krongard (US Navy), Randall Harris Krongard (film maker).

Patrica Lion's sister, Margo Lion is a Broadway theatre producer.

On 31 July 2004 Krongard married Cheryl Gordon (nee Cheryl Gruetzmacher), at that time a senior executive for Apollo Management [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E0D7103DF932A3575BC0A9629C8B63 WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Cheryl Gordon, A. B. Krongard - New York Times ] ] . She has since become a director of Legg Mason and US Airways.

Controversies

Krongard's name was brought up in conjunction with investigations into suspected 9/11-related insider trading because of timely Wall Street trades made through the investment bank he used to head, Alex. Brown. [ [http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/10_09_01_krongard.html Suppressed Details of Criminal Insider Trading Lead Directly Into The CIA's Highest Ranks ] ]

At a November 14, 2007 House oversight committee hearing about Blackwater, investigating allegations of improper interference by Krongard's brother, Howard, in Justice Department investigations of Blackwater and other State Department contractors, Chairman Henry Waxman stated that A. B. Krongard was on "Blackwater's advisory board". [ [http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004700.php TPMmuckraker | Talking Points Memo | Waxman: State IG's Brother Sits on Blackwater's Advisory Board ] ] Howard Krongard at first denied that his brother had any connection with Blackwater, saying::"I can tell you, very frankly, I am not aware of any financial interest or position he has with respect to Blackwater. When these ugly rumors started recently, I specifically asked him. I do not believe it is true that he is a member of the advisory board that you stated. And that's something I think I need to say." [http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3866602&page=1 Brother of State Dept. Official Linked to Blackwater] , Matthew Jaffe, ABC News, November 14, 2007 ] However, when confronted with a July 26 letter from Blackwater founder and CEO Erik Prince to Buzzy Krongard asking him to join Blackwater's advisory board, followed by a September 5 letter welcoming Krongard to the board and a report from Rep. Elijah Cummings stating that Buzz Krongard had been expected to attend a Blackwater board meeting earlier that week, Krongard said he had called his brother during the ensuing break in the hearings and learned of this conflict of interest for the first time, saying "I'm not my brother's keeper, and we don't discuss our business with each other". He then recused himself from the investigation. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-11-14-krongard_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip State Dept. official withdraws from Blackwater probe] by Matt Kelley, USA Today, November 14, 2007.] , , [ [http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/14/blackwater.state/ State Dept. inspector-general bows out of Blackwater probe - CNN.com ] ] Committee chairman Henry Waxman issued a memorandum [ [http://www.slate.com/id/2178277/entry/2178278/ The ballad of Cookie and Buzzy Krongard. - By Bonnie Goldstein - Slate Magazine ] ] summarizing the discrepancies between the two brothers' recollections of what Buzzy told Howard.

References