Obama's CIO returns to work after temporary leave
Newly appointed federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra has been reinstated, after taking a leave of absence associated with an FBI raid of his former office.
The recently appointed federal chief information officer returned to work Tuesday, after temporarily stepping down in response to the arrest of one of his former employees on bribery charges.
Vivek Kundra took a leave of absence from his position as federal CIO last week after an FBI raid of the District of Columbia's office of the chief technology officer. The FBI raid coincided with the arrest of two individuals charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, including one man who worked in the government office while Kundra served as D.C. chief technology officer.
The defendant Yusuf Acar allegedly attempted to exploit his responsibility for government contracts in the CTO office to defraud the city government. Kundra is not a target of the ongoing investigation.
President Obama appointed Kundra as federal CIO earlier this month. In his role as D.C. chief technology officer and also as the federal CIO, Kundra has emphasized the need for transparency in government information technology procurements.
The White House confirmed to CNET News on Tuesday that Kundra has returned to his position as CIO, following various news reports.
"Mr. Kundra has been informed that he is neither a subject nor a target of the investigation and has been reinstated," said White House Spokesman Nick Shapiro.