Rep. Duncan Hunter wants Army to investigate an official who allowed himself to be called PhD

A member of the House Armed Services Committee is calling for an investigation of a former Army official who played a key role in the service's struggling intelligence program while allowing people to believe he earned a Ph.D. that he did does not hold.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, is urging Army Secretary John McHugh in a letter to investigate Russell Richardson. Richardson was both a contractor and an employee of the Army's Intelligence and Security Command. Hunter said the probe should determine whether Richardson misrepresented his academic credentials and benefited from the misrepresentation in any way.

Hunter also wants the Army to examine Richardson's influence over the contracting process, and whether his relationship with the Army at any time presented a conflict of interest. Richardson denies wrongdoing.