Homeland Security official has bogus computer degrees

Paper chase starts



By Adamson Rust: Friday 06 June 2003, 10:09

A SENIOR OFFICIAL at the Homeland Security Department bought her degrees in computing science from a diploma fabrication plant, it has emerged.

Laura Callahan, a senior director in the office of the chief information officer of Homeland Security, allegedly picked up three degrees from an establishment refused accreditation from the US Department of Education, claims Washington Technology today.

And now Tom Ridge, secretary in charge of Homeland Security, is facing tough questions from senior US politicians.

The magazine claims that Callahan's degrees in computer science came from Hamilton University in Wyoming, which sells pieces of paper based on "life and work experience".

The department is "collecting facts", which is, after all, one of its briefs.

But the investigation may extend further. Ms Callahan, apparently, was also in charge of large computing budgets at the US Department of Labor, before she was poached for Homeland Security.

And we think this is the same Laura Callahan who was the White House Webmaster when she gave info to a committee about a conversation about an email exchange beween Monica Lewinsky and other woman, which you can find here. In that story it was claimed that she and Mark Lindsay threatened to have three Northrop Grumman contacts jailed if computer problems were exposed, claims they denied. µ