[The Weekly Standard] The inspector general of the State Department confirmed today in Senate testimony that the State Department network at some point was hacked. He made the comments in response to a question from Georgia senator David Perdue. Perdue asked, "Do you have evidence that the State Department's network has been attacked, and does that affect you guys?"
"There is evidence it has been attacked, and it has affected us. I can't really go into details because of the nature of the information," said inspector general Steve Linick.
Mr. Linick, does the name Xiaoming Gao mean anything to you ?
In a statement, Perdue commented, "Georgians sent me to Washington to make the federal government more effective, transparent, and accountable. Today's hearing is part of our Congressional oversight authority. It is my hope that this first hearing and the bipartisan work of this subcommittee will help uncover ways we can improve and streamline oversight at the State Department in order to support the men and women who serve our country here at home and around the world.
"The Office of the Inspector General was designed to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, and has laudably found ways to save taxpayers millions of dollars. However, they do not have autonomy or independence to conduct adequate oversight. Given the important mission of the State Department, it's outrageous that Mr. Linick and his team are not given full authority to hold a department of 72,000 employees accountable. As chairman of this subcommittee, my goal is to improve the overall operational effectiveness of the State Department and provide greater transparency and accountability for the American people."