Carl Levin went on the attack today against the Bush Administration at John Warner’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Dubai ports deal. After Treasury officials said that all security concerns about the UAE were looked into and resolved, Levin specifically asked the administration officials if any of them consulted with the 9/11 Commission on the UAE’s record of supporting Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The answer? No, they didn’t consult with the 9/11 Commission at all about Dubai and Al Qaeda. "
* btw - everyone is pointing out that John Snow's CSX was sold to DPW - but not many seem to have noticed that CSX was a Carlyle company.
* froomkin: "In his briefing yesterday, press secretary Scott McClellan asserted that "100 percent of cargo is screened." But he was defining cargo screening loosely, apparently including the screening of manifests."
* froomkin: "Wondering why (libby's) defense fund needs so much money? Here's just one example, from the affidavit: "In preparing the defense based on confusion, mistake or faulty memory, the defense has reviewed extensive research on the functioning of memory.""
* froomkin:
"And here's a new development: According to the hunting guide who was on the scene with Cheney and Ambassador Pamela Willeford when Cheney opened fire, there was a Secret Service agent alongside Cheney as well.
That's the first time anyone has talked about a Secret Service agent being that close. But the sheriff's department apparently did not interview the Secret Service agent, Cheney didn't mention one in his Fox News interview , and the Secret Service is staying mum."
1 comment:
Just a quick reminder on Carlyle, again from Wayne Madsen (Jan 23, 26) : The Office of Federal Investigations (OFI), became U.S. Investigations Services (USIS) which was privatized in 1997 and to Carlyle. Carlyle has unfettered access to millions of government files, including those held by the federal Employee Service and Records Center, and details on contractors who have applied for security clearances.
"After OFI became USIS, the timeliness and quality of the security background checks conducted on Federal employees quickly deteriorated according to former OFI employees. They saw USIS being turned into a cash laundering operation whereby a few officials at the top became instant millionaires. Insiders also report that USIS "branched" into other operations never before conducted by OFI/OPM. These other operations were the focus of Col. Ted Westhusing's investigation when he was "suicided" in Baghdad." (Westhusing was the Iraqi police and security forces trainer).
"Informed sources report that Westhusing was prepared to blow the whistle on fraud involving US Investigations Services (USIS), a Carlyle Group company, when he died. He had also discovered links between USIS principals and clandestine events involving the Iran-Contra scandal of the Reagan-Bush I administrations. Westhusing has also linked USIS to the illegal killing and torture of Iraqis. USIS personnel whom Westhusing was investigating had the keys to his trailer. In addition, Westhusing's personal bodyguard was given a leave of absence shortly before the colonel's death".
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