Arthur Brennan, who briefly worked as director of the OAT, and James Mattil, former chief of staff, told the hearing that “their office was understaffed and its warnings and recommendations ignored,” reports the Associated Press (AP). Mattil concluded that “the reasons are either gross incompetence, wilful negligence or political intent on the part of the Bush administration and more specifically, the State Department" (VOA). Brennan described efforts by the embassy against corruption including the Office of Accountability and Transparency, as little more than "window dressing,” writes National Journal. A retired judge, Brennan, estimated that: “Billions of U.S. and Iraqi dollars have been lost, stolen and wasted, it is likely that some of that money is financing outlaws and insurgents such as the Medhi Army,” according to Agence France-Presse.

No Republicans or State department officials were present at the hearing, but State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey told AP: "Any assertion that we have not taken this issue seriously or given it the attention it deserves is simply untrue," pointing to the recent appointment of Lawrence Benedict as coordinator for anti-corruption initiatives at the US embassy in Baghdad as “another demonstration that we are working at very senior levels to help the Iraqis deal with this issue."

Brennan and Mattil also criticised the State department’s treatment of Judge Radhi al-Radhi, former head of Iraq’s Commission on Public Integrity. After reportedly initiating more than 3000 corruption cases, al Rahdi sought asylum in the US after assassination attempts and 31 of his employees were murdered. The two claimed that State department employees were ordered not to assist or contact al Radhi, and that it is an act of “betrayal” that he and his family are now struggling to pay for an apartment in Virginia (National Journal).

The hearing took place ahead of expected legislation that would request a further US $170 billion (€107 billion) to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (AP).

According to AP, the OAT was established to lend assistance and training to Iraqi anti-corruption agencies. It was closed down in December 2007 after a draft report was leaked, which claimed that investigations of Shiite-controlled agencies had been blocked by the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The report was retroactively classified, with State Department officials explaining that it could damage relations with Iraq.