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American charged in Iraqi conspiracy [Andy Card's distant cousin]
CNN ^ | March 11, 2004

Posted on 03/11/2004 3:42:29 PM PST by optimistically_conservative

NEW YORK (CNN) -- An American woman and self-declared antiwar activist was arrested Thursday on charges of conspiring with the Iraqi government in New York and Baghdad.

A federal indictment states Susan Lindauer in January 2003 delivered a letter to the home of a U.S. government official saying she had contacts with members of the Saddam Hussein regime "in an unsuccessful attempt to influence United States foreign policy."

CNN has learned that the government official mentioned is White House chief of staff Andrew Card.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Lindauer is a distant cousin of Card's and that his last recollection of seeing her was "in early 2001 around the inaugural events."

McClellan said Card "cooperated fully with the investigation" and views this "as a very sad, very unfortunate incident."

McClellan said Lindauer made "various attempts" to contact Card and said she was in contact with the Iraqi regime.

Card "brought that to the attention of the appropriate officials" at the Justice Department, McClellan said.

A government source told CNN that Card was not home when Lindauer delivered the letter to his house.

The source said Card immediately notified the Justice Department and turned the letter over to authorities. Card also informed President Bush of the investigation, the source said.

Lindauer, 41, is a former journalist and a one-time congressional staff member.

The indictment, from the U.S. attorney of the Southern District of New York, says Lindauer was known as "Symbol Susan."

The charges say Lindauer and two other defendants "unlawfully, willfully and knowingly would and did act in the United States as agents of a foreign government, specifically the government of Iraq, without prior notification to the attorney general, as required by law" from approximately October 1999 through March 2002.

During this time, Lindauer allegedly made multiple visits to the Iraqi mission to the United Nations in Manhattan, where she met with several members of the Iraqi intelligence service, according to the indictment.

It also claims Lindauer engaged in prohibited financial transactions with the Iraqi government by taking financial payments for travel expenses and services conducted for the Iraqi intelligence service.

Iraq is listed in the Export Administration Act of 1979 as a country supporting international terrorism

Lindauer was arrested Thursday morning at her home in Takoma Park, Maryland. After an appearance in federal court Thursday afternoon in Baltimore, Maryland, she is to be arraigned Monday in New York.

A conviction on the charge of acting as an unregistered agent of Iraq could bring a maximum 10-year sentence. Conviction on the conspiracy count could result in five years in prison.

CNN's Kelli Arena, John King and Anne Castellani contributed to this report

Problems seem to run in the family........

Lindauer's father, John Lindauer, owned newspapers in Alaska and was the Republican nominee for governor there in 1998. He was defeated and later pleaded no contest to two charges stemming from campaign finance problems related to the campaign. He received a one-year suspended sentence, two years of probation and a $15,000 fine.
Susan Lindauer also is a distant cousin of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, said White House press secretary Scott McClellan.
Lindauer worked at Fortune, U.S. News & World Report and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer before beginning her career as a political publicist.
She worked for Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., in 1993 and Rep. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., in 1994, before joining the office of former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun as press secretary in 1996. From March to May 2002, she worked for Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.
[end snips]

Wow, Grampa. I didn't know she was related to Andy Card. Thanks for posting:

A federal indictment states Susan Lindauer in January 2003 delivered a letter to the home of a U.S. government official saying she had contacts with members of the Saddam Hussein regime "in an unsuccessful attempt to influence United States foreign policy."

CNN has learned that the government official mentioned is White House chief of staff Andrew Card.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Lindauer is a distant cousin of Card's and that his last recollection of seeing her was "in early 2001 around the inaugural events."

McClellan said Card "cooperated fully with the investigation" and views this "as a very sad, very unfortunate incident."

McClellan said Lindauer made "various attempts" to contact Card and said she was in contact with the Iraqi regime.

Card "brought that to the attention of the appropriate officials" at the Justice Department, McClellan said.

A government source told CNN that Card was not home when Lindauer delivered the letter to his house.

The source said Card immediately notified the Justice Department and turned the letter over to authorities. Card also informed President Bush of the investigation, the source said.