The Justice Department has said it will follow the State Department’s investigation closely, and will come to its own determination as to whether it needs to get involved. Despite clamoring by a senior House Democrat to reveal the names of the companies who employ the involved contractors, officials close to the investigation have not released that information. They state they wish to err on the side of caution prior to releasing such data.

As far as any criminal prosecution is concerned, the Justice Department said it will likely wait until the State Department has concluded its investigation before it decides whether to move forward. They also said the firings of the contract employees prior to being questioned will make the investigation more difficult, since the Inspector General can no longer compel them to talk.

The State Department’s top management official, Undersecretary Patrick Kennedy, agreed that the investigation should have been forwarded to senior officers and that the incident had been mishandled.

As far as the candidates are concerned, all three have accepted apologies, which they deemed appropriate, and agree that a comprehensive investigation is in order.

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