Posted on 05/18/2006 5:37:16 PM PDT by wjersey
The US Senate is looking into allegations that a former US senator urged Baghdad to give a US company lucrative contracts under the much-criticised United Nations oil-for-food programme.
This is the first time that a leading US lawmaker has been linked to the controversial UN programme, whose shortcomings have been an important element of the Bush administration's critique of the UN.
The investigation involves one of the most vivid figures in US east coast politics, former senator Robert Torricelli, a New Jersey Democrat who was forced to pull out of the 2002 election after being "severely admonished" by the Senate ethics committee for accepting expensive gifts from David Chang, a campaign contributor. Mr Chang, a Korean-American businessman, was found guilty in 2002 of conspiring to violate federal campaign laws and was jailed for 15 months.
Senator Norm Coleman, the Republican chairman of the US Senate permanent sub-committee on investigations, said: "We take these allegations seriously and will continue to investigate in a bipartisan manner allegations of wrongdoing under the oil-for-food programme. We have investigated the illicit conduct of politicians in Russia, France, and the UK. We have a similar interest in preserving the institutional integrity of the US Senate, so we take these allegations regarding former Senator Torricelli seriously and will continue our investigation into them and will refer our findings to the appropriate agencies." The British, French and Russian politicians investigated by the subcommittee deny the allegations.
The allegations are based on Iraqi documents, including diplomatic cables, retrieved after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraq's former president.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
How's the Rockerfeller investigation going?
Ah....he'll just deny it...isn't that his MO!!
Funny how Normie started out gung-ho...and hasn't been heard of since...LOL
Coleman has been a disappointment. Is it a case of follow the money...to where he found it?
I want to see him "frog marched"...to court....LOL
Oil-For-Food ping
I had high hopes for Coleman...but not only has he done bupkis (thanks Tony) re: OFF lately..
But, he seems to have caught the Lincoln Chafing (thanks Mark) disease...and is voting more and more against President Bush's agenda.
Incredible. Torch getting lit up again.
I guess the "Torch" can retire from politics but we will never be able to be rid of his stench.
who would indict him?
Culture of corruption goes on and on and on.......
The REAL culture of corruption.
GMTA!
Ping A Ling
What will come of it?
Gee I wandered over just in time to see the ping.
This should be fun to follow.... ;-)
Pinz
Thanks for the ping!
ROTFLOL!
I hope that this time, he DOES TIME!
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