BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhuanet) -- The Bush administration may again come under fire for conflicts of interest and cronyism after a government board that investigates inspectors general found NASA's top watchdog routinely alerted department officials of internal investigations and quashed a report related to the Columbia's shuttle explosion to avoid embarrassing the agency.

    A report by the Integrity Committee found Robert Cobb "created an appearance of a lack of independence," and it questioned whether NASA would do enough to reprimand him.

    "All members of the committee believe that disciplinary action, up to and including removal, could be appropriate," he said in a previously unreleased report that also accused Cobb of abusing authority to create an "abusive work environment."

    NASA administrator Michael Griffin has proposed sending Cobb to leadership training and requiring he meet regularly with department officials on how to improve, but that is not enough, said Integrity Committee Chairman James Burrus.

    In responses to the Integrity Committee, Griffin defended Cobb in noting he was being criticized for the mere appearance of a conflict of interest. Cobb has acknowledged he cultivated relationships in the department to build trust but said he never stepped over the line.

    "This has been a trying year for Mr. Cobb and I have been impressed with his continued focus on his professional obligations to the Congress and to this agency," Griffin wrote. He said the report "does not contain evidence of a lack of integrity on the part of Mr. Cobb."

    The report, completed Jan. 22, was made public this week by the House Committee on Science and Technology, and threatens to renew questions of conflicts of interest and cronyism in a Bush administration under fire for allegedly exerting undue political influence in the firing of U.S. attorneys.

    Only President Bush can dismiss Cobb, a former White House aide and 1986 law graduate whom Bush selected as NASA's IG in 2002. The White House has said it is satisfied with NASA's plans to require leadership training for Cobb, who once was an adviser on ethics to then-White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, now the attorney general.

    But three key lawmakers who chair Senate and House subcommittees with jurisdiction over the space agency disagree. They are calling for Cobb's resignation and are pledging to pursue hearings if necessary to investigate his conduct.

    "This inspector general's own peers -- after months of investigation -- found that he has abused his position of authority and lacked an appearance of independence from top officials at NASA," said Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., who chairs the Science and Technology committee.

    Internal e-mails and documents made available Thursday paint a picture of Cobb as an IG more concerned with preserving cozy relationships than maintaining independence in the agency he is charged with overseeing.

    (Agencies)