Perle lobbied for Boeing's tanker bid

Financial Times ^ | 12/5/2003 | Joshua Chaffin in Washington and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in New York

[JohnGalt]

Perle lobbied for Boeing's tanker bid By Joshua Chaffin in Washington and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in New York Published: December 5 2003 0:50 | Last Updated: December 5 2003 0:50

Richard Perle, a prominent Pentagon adviser, lobbied on behalf of Boeing's bid for a controversial $18bn government contract a year after the aerospace company made a $20m investment in the venture capital fund he runs.

Mr Perle, a former Reagan-era assistant defence secretary, is considered one of the most influential civilian members of Washington's defence establishment.

He was appointed in 2001 by Donald Rumsfeld, defence secretary, to chair the Defence Policy Board, a group of former military and policy experts who meet regularly with Mr Rumsfeld and top Pentagon officials.

In August, Mr Perle co-authored an Op-Ed piece in the Wall Street Journal arguing in favour of a deal in which the Air Force would lease 100 767 aircraft refuelling tankers from Boeing. The piece was published at a time when the deal was under intense attack by critics who claimed the tankers were unnecessary and the deal too expensive.

Mr Perle and Thomas Donnelly, both members of the American Enterprise Institute think- tank, wrote that a "special government green-eyeshade mentality" was holding up a crucial deal.

Mr Perle did not disclose that Boeing had committed to invest $20m in his venture capital fund, Trireme Partners, in mid-2002. The investment marked one of the largest early stakes taken in the fund by a corporate partner.

Mr Perle on Thursday denied he had received any compensation from Boeing or any benefit related to the article. "The people involved in Trireme have nothing to do with the tanker deal," Mr Perle said. "I never discussed the tanker issue or my views on the tanker issue with anyone at Boeing that had anything to do with Trireme." He added that Trireme's relationship with Boeing was "fundamentally" handled by Gerald Hillman, a partner in the fund, who is also a Defence Policy Board member.

Boeing said it briefed Mr Perle on the tanker deal on July 14, giving him the same presentation it had made to several journalists, policy analysts and watch-dog groups.

But the company said it had "no hand" in writing or placing Mr Perle's Op-Ed piece. In addition to Trireme, Boeing said it had invested $250m in 29 similar funds.

Internal Boeing e-mails portray a lobbying campaign the company undertook to have "friends on the Hill" and "think tanks" drum up support for the deal. One Boeing e-mail refers to an Op-Ed article in support of the company by retired Admiral Archie Clemins as being "ghost-written".

[JohnGalt]

This guy is a joke.

[JohnGalt]

*ping*

From 11/12/2003
Hollinger examines Perle investments

[Eric in the Ozarks]

More self-dealing from a government insider.

[JohnGalt]

It rather explains Perle's backstab against the Administration a couple weeks back, to a foreign audience no less. He must figure he is on the outs with the Bush Team so he needs to make some "new" friends to save his hide.

[expatpat]

And pretty close to being a crook.

[mr.pink]

Mr Perle did not disclose that Boeing had committed to invest $20m in his venture capital fund, Trireme Partners, in mid-2002.

I'm shocked.

[aristeides]

Funny that this is just coming out now, after the tanker deal has fallen apart.

[big bad easter bunny]

So did Daschles wife!

[big bad easter bunny]

"Linda Daschle, Linda Daschle, Lin-da Da-schle..." That's the name of the high powered lobbyist that's been conspicuously absent from every single news story written on the scandal over the Pentagon renting Boeing aircraft to be used as refueling tankers when it would save taxpayers billions to simply buy them outright. Boeing CEO Phil Condit has resigned over this deal.



Linda Daschle, wife of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, is a highly paid (just how highly we don't know since she and her husband refuse to release their income tax records) lobbyist for this company and for this deal. The EIB Network was one of the earliest whistleblowers on the tanker scandal, and remains the only news outlet to remind everyone that Linda Daschle plays a key role in ramming it through Congress. By law, Mrs. Daschle is barred from lobbying the Senate, folks. Do we not have a right to at least ask if she broke any laws in lobbying using her husband's influence to win this $18 billion contract?

Boeing has fired two officials for ethical violations including their CEO, folks. After screaming about Enron for two years are the Democrats going to hold their own house to less of a standard than an eeeevil corporation? How can we not have heard the name of the lobbyist that put the deal together mentioned in the mainstream press? How can Congress - which investigates allegations of wrongdoing without any evidence whatsoever, but merely based on the "seriousness of the charge" - not at least ask a few questions?

[Liz]

Hold on, here's another precious Perlism........


Business/Financial Desk | March 29, 2003, Saturday
Adviser to U.S. Aided Maker Of Satellites

By Stephen Labaton / N Y Times
Late Edition - Final, Section C, Page 1, Column 5

While he led an influential Pentagon advisory board, Richard N. Perle advised a major American satellite maker, Loral Space and Communications, as it faced government accusations that it improperly transferred rocket technology to China, administration officials said today.

Officials at the State Department said that the senior official considering how to resolve the rocket matter, Assistant Secretary Lincoln P. Bloomfield Jr., was contacted by Mr. Perle once or twice in the second half of 2001 on behalf of the company. At the time, Mr. Bloomfield, who heads the State Department's bureau of political-military affairs, and other officials were investigating accusations that Loral turned over expertise that significantly improved the reliability of China's nuclear missiles. ............SNIP

______________________________________________________

Lest we forget, Loral's Schwartz was Clinton's largest donor and actually lobbied Clinton at a state dinner for the immensely profitable China tech transfer.

Perle needs professional care. Poor guy is addlepated. It must be a *itch trying to keep track of which hat he is supposed to be wearing at any given time.

[mr.pink]

It must be a *itch trying to keep track of which hat he is supposed to be wearing at any given time.

$o many pie$ for Richard to ta$te...$adly, while hi$ gluttony ha$ done wonder$ for hi$ wallet....it ha$ taken it'$ toll on hi$ look$. ;o)

[Liz]

$o many pie$ for Richard to ta$te...$adly, while hi$ gluttony ha$
done wonder$ for hi$ wallet....it ha$ taken it'$ toll on hi$ look$.

He oughta cut out the filet mignon with Sauce Bernaise washed down
with Amarone della Valpolicella "Vignette di Iago," Domini Veneti 1995.

[Shermy]

Perle was also involved with WorldCom.

Grrrr.....