By Jesse Russell

In a report released by the Government Accountability Office, the Bush administration has been implicated in disseminating "covert propaganda" in violation of a United States statutory ban. The report is the result of an investigation into contracts between commentator Armstrong Williams and the education department where Williams was paid to write newspaper columns and make television appearances promoting the No Child Left Behind Act. Also, the auditors called illegal the administrations use of government funds to hire a public relations firm for the purpose of analyzing news articles for the message "The Bush administration or the GOP is committed to education." The report says there is "no use for such information except for partisan political purposes." The Accountability Office report comes with no penalty, but federal law mandates that the violations be reported to Congress.