State official’s brother quits Blackwater board

updated 7:12 p.m. ET Nov. 16, 2007

WASHINGTON - The brother of embattled State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard quit as an adviser to Blackwater Worldwide on Friday, two days after the relationship with the security contractor was sharply criticized by a congressional oversight committee.

Erik Prince, Blackwater's top executive, said the conflict of interest questions raised by the connection prompted Alvin "Buzzy" Krongard to submit his resignation.

"I have reluctantly accepted it," Prince said in a statement.

Alvin Krongard never received any payment for his work on Blackwater's advisory board, which only met once, Prince said.

"As far as I know, no allegations of impropriety have been lodged against Buzzy for his membership on our board, and the publicized allegation of an apparent conflict of interest against his brother Howard, with whom Buzzy has not been close for years, is just that, an allegation," Prince said.

Due to the relationship, Howard Krongard was forced to step aside from any inquiries related to the company, a major State Department contractor and the subject of ongoing federal investigations.

However, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Howard Krongard may have not answered truthfully about his brother's role with Blackwater and said it would continue to investigate.

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