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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 04/08/2003 9:35:20 AM PDT by NativeNewYorker
Washington, April 8 (Bloomberg) -- Two House Democrats called for an investigation into the contracts being awarded to rebuild Iraq, including how the Pentagon selected Halliburton Co.'s Kellogg, Brown & Root unit to extinguish oil well fires.
Representatives Henry Waxman, of California, and John Dingell, of Michigan, asked the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to review the U.S. Agency for International Development's bidding process for a $1.7 billion rebuilding effort in post-war Iraq.
The two lawmakers, in letters to the GAO, say they want a separate probe into whether Halliburton ``received special treatment'' from the Pentagon over the past two years because Vice President Dick Cheney, a Republican, was the company's chief executive before resigning to run for office.
Ellen Yount, a spokeswoman for development agency, said such an inquiry was expected.
``We fully anticipated, given the political sensitivity of this, that there would be a congressional critique process,'' she said.
Calls for a response from the White House and Halliburton weren't immediately returned.
The Defense Department and USAID are inviting companies to bid on work in Iraq under expedited rules that let government agencies bypass competitive bidding requirements to start projects under emergency conditions.
More Contracts
``It is unclear to us whether these agencies acted within the scope of their authority and followed accepted procurement practices,'' Waxman and Dingell wrote in a letter to GAO Comptroller General David Walker.
The USAID will be awarding contracts as early as this week to manage Iraq's five airports, to handle logistics like trucking, and to help Iraqis reestablish health care, education, and other government functions. The biggest, a construction contract worth up to $600 million over 21 months, attracted bidders such as Bechtel Group Inc. and Parsons Corp.
The development agency's first contract was awarded March 13 to International Resources Group Ltd., which won a $7.1 million deal to provide personnel for the reconstruction. The second was awarded March 24 to Stevedoring Services of America, which won a $4.8 million contract to manage the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.
The agency anticipates another round that would hire companies to improve telecommunications, rebuild agriculture systems, and bolster Iraq's financial institutions.
Waxman and Dingell have been frequent critics of President George W. Bush's links to businesses in the energy industry. They previously sought a GAO investigation into what role energy companies played in formulating administration policies.
Bidding, Selection
The two lawmakers said Cheney received about $180,000 annually in deferred compensation payments from Halliburton following his divestiture and that ``these ties between the Vice President and Halliburton have raised concerns about whether the company has received favorable treatment from the administration.''
The Pentagon has declined to say how much the oil well contract was worth or which companies bid.
The Democrats said they are interested in ``how certain companies were invited to bid on these contracts, how the contract winners were selected, why so little information has been provided to the public and Congress about the contracts, and what role various agencies played in making the determination to proceed with these contracts.''
The GAO investigates and prepares reports on federal programs for lawmakers, audits expenditures, and issues legal opinions.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It's known for example, that the antitank missles used to kill 3 of our M1A1 tanks have been Russian-made Kornets, developed AFTER the end of Desert Storm.
That is but ONE small example of weapons trade with Iraq.
It has been pointed out the Iraqis could have easily come by these weapons via third-party channels and simply from the highest bidder for the best profit on the weapons sales.
Germany and France no doubt are scared $hitle$$ and bracing for the reams of documentation and weapons finds that will be traced back to those worms.
The next six month's worth of weapons, bodies, and human atrocities finds will be historic - and catastrophic for the following organizations who defended Saddam and absolutely insisted there was no reason for this war:
#1. The American Democratic National Party
#2. Germany - Schroeder and his neonazi clowns.
#3. France - Chirac and the throngs of French contractors weeing over lost Iraqi/Saddam hidden contract.
#4. Russia - God only knows.
#5. Hollywood and all the pitiful pukes that bought into the lies of the Ununited Nations.
#6. Last, but surely the most corrupt - the Ununited Nations. Thanks to them and their attempts to protect, conceal, and defend the monstrous regime of Saddam Hussein, the world could have easily erupted into WWIII.
But did we really expect anything different?
Michael
You did. They did. Why the devil do these "investigators" not know that? We do.
 url-linked images of shame |
Saddam's goons keep attacking Bush, via corrupt congress men... and other supporters of their trash
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