Governor Rod Blagojevich and Bernie Madoff currently sit comfortably atop the 2008 list of biggest scandals, but plenty of hucksters, criminals, and slimebags made their marks last year. The investigative site ProPublica has a rundown in a six-part series (so far) of “This Year in Scandals.”
The former Halliburton subsidiary KBR is accused of some of the most despicable crimes of the year, allegedly causing the electrocution of 18 solders after “installing shoddy electrical wiring in barracks in Iraq and then ignoring warnings to fix it.” They also may have exposed soldiers to a variety of toxic chemicals, according to both the Army Times and a lawsuit or two. The infamous security contractor Blackwater also makes the list, standing accused of smuggling weapons into Iraq in sacks of dog food, among various other crimes.
For more scandal coverage, read about the winners of Talking Points Memo’s 2008 Golden Duke Awards.
