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US: Saddam paid for lawmakers' Iraq trip
news.yahoo.com ^

Posted on 03/26/2008 3:07:47 PM PDT by bad company

WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors say Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion.

An indictment in Detroit accuses Muthanna Al-Hanooti of arranging for three members of Congress to travel to Iraq in October 2002 at the behest of Saddam's regime. Prosecutors say Iraqi intelligence officials paid for the trip through an intermediary.

In exchange, Al-Hanooti allegedly received 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.

The lawmakers are not mentioned but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. There was no indication the three lawmakers knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 1999; 2002; 200210; 2006; aaan; aidandcomfort; aidingandabetting; alhanooti; alkhafagi; alkhafaji; baghdadjim; baghdadtrio; bonior; bribe; congress; cultureofcorruption; cultureofcutandrun; davidbonior; democrat; democrats; democratscandals; detroit; detroitcell; elections; elkhafagi; hamas; hanooti; iis; incpi; inshiftingsands; iraq; jimmcdermott; josephwilson; khafagi; khafaji; life; liferd; lindhauer; lrd; mcdermott; mikethompson; muthannaalhanooti; niger; nigerflap; oil; oilforfood; payola; rats; saddam; sanctions; scottritter; seattle; seattlecell; shadowgovernment; shakiralkhafaji; susanlindhauer; thompson; treason; unconstitutional; usefulidiots
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To: All
Ya can't show us your oil vouchers, Congressmen, because ya done sold 'em at that Baghdad hotel.

Some of us been asking for a long time. I really, really do want to know. Did they or didn't they?

"Other reports say celebrities who visited Iraq also got oil vouchers. These included politicians, entertainment and media folks. Who do we know visited Iraq? Jim McDermott, David Bonier and Mike Thompson as well as Sean Penn.

"According to those other reports the vouchers were for relatively small amounts handed out as "thank you gifts." Oil traders knowing that celebrities were in town and likely staying at a popular hotel flocked to the hotel to bid on and collect the vouchers.

"The oil traders then collected the oil against the vouchers from, according to one report, "the Kirkuk-Banias (Syria) pipeline terminal, which was operating in contravention of the Security Council sanctions. The pipeline carried 200,000 barrels per day of Iraqi oil, which benefited Syria greatly."

"49 posted on 04/13/2004 9:35:15 PM PDT by WilliamofCarmichael"

81 posted on 03/26/2008 7:01:34 PM PDT by WilliamofCarmichael (If modern America's Man on Horseback is out there, Get on the damn horse already!)
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To: bad company
As we know, the Democrats are useful idiots of our enemies at best and willing supporters of our enemies at worst. There is no way that they couldn't have known how damaging it is for them to go to Iraq -- remember this was AFTER 9-11 and oppose the foreign policy of the US, while standing on Iraqi soil, basically expressing support for Saddam. See this more complete article:

US: Saddam Paid for Lawmakers' Iraq Trip

The lawmakers are not named in the indictment but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. None was charged and Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators "have no information whatsoever" any of them knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.

"Obviously we didn't know it at the time," McDermott spokesman Michael DeCesare said Wednesday. "The trip was to see the plight of the Iraqi children. That's the only reason we went."

During the trip, the lawmakers expressed skepticism about the Bush administration's claims that Saddam was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.

"War is not the answer," Bonior, who is no longer in Congress, said at a news conference while on the trip. "There is a way to resolve this."

82 posted on 03/26/2008 7:04:45 PM PDT by Clairity
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To: bad company

DemonRats, now that’s the shocker of the century—NOT.


83 posted on 03/26/2008 7:14:54 PM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity (Liberals: can't live with them, can't ship them to Syria.)
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To: bad company
US lawmakers push diplomacy in Iraq
30 September, 2002, BBC News

The congressmen brought an anti-war message

The three members of the House of Representatives - David Bonior, Jim McDermott and Mike Thompson - have been in Iraq for four days to assess the humanitarian situation.

Mr McDermott, of Washington state, said the US should concentrate on making sure Iraq was safe, not toppling its leader.

"Regime change requires war, disarming can be done diplomatically," he said.

84 posted on 03/26/2008 7:17:41 PM PDT by Clairity
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To: bad company

Deomcrats: Supporting America’s enemies since 1824.


85 posted on 03/26/2008 7:21:30 PM PDT by 2CAVTrooper (If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?)
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To: bad company

Godamn traitors!! They need to be tried and hung!!


86 posted on 03/26/2008 7:22:35 PM PDT by unixfox (The 13th Amendment Abolished Slavery, The 16th Amendment Reinstated It !)
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To: Red Steel
Anybody keeping track of this “Culture of Corruption”? Let’s hope April is even better!

Tell Pelosi.... Cricket...cricket.

Problem is...no one on our side is saying a word about all these corrupt Democrats. It is ridiculous...and because of the silence, these peoples' behavior will have no repercussions in the end .

87 posted on 03/26/2008 7:25:26 PM PDT by ilgipper
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To: Grampa Dave
Ah... This is fantastic! Your beloved CONgressman, Mike Thompson, goes to Iwrack on the tab of the UN "Oil For Food" megagigascandal with the ticket bought by the MI head of CAIR!!! Talk about a scandalous junket!!!

Hey! Whens ol Boniar, Tompson and the CONgressional idiot from WA state gonna resign due to total incompetence and incontinence? (buncha betwetters)

88 posted on 03/26/2008 7:26:21 PM PDT by SierraWasp (Out of the dung of adversity, spring the seeds of opportunity! America will always be exceptional!!!)
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To: bad company
"There was no indication the three lawmakers knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam."

Likewise, BHO didn't have a clue about his mentor's worldview after listening to 700 of his sermons.
89 posted on 03/26/2008 7:32:14 PM PDT by Aln in Eastern WA (McCain-Romney 08)
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To: BallyBill

Maybe he just assumed it was Soros... LOL


90 posted on 03/26/2008 7:32:34 PM PDT by LibertyRocks (The Liberty Rocks Blog - http://libertyrocks.wordpress.com ~ also see; http://www.libertyrocks.us)
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To: bad company

"Baghdad Jim" McDermott, (D) Wash.


91 posted on 03/26/2008 7:43:12 PM PDT by XR7
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To: bad company
Jim McDermott is a real Clymer and the people in his district keep on voting him in.

The Pathetic Ethics of Jim McDermott

92 posted on 03/26/2008 7:50:02 PM PDT by Spunky (You are free to make choices, but not free from the consequences)
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To: bad company

They had to have known the charity had Saddam connections because of who they met during the “fact finding mission”. I am so sick of these traitors that roam the halls of congress then our Justice Dept looks the other way.


93 posted on 03/26/2008 7:52:37 PM PDT by tobyhill (The media lies so much the truth is the exception)
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To: bad company

TRAITORGATE...if little Mark Foley could take down the entire Congressional GOP, then surely we can use this to oust the RATs from power!


94 posted on 03/26/2008 7:52:51 PM PDT by montag813
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To: big'ol_freeper

it would be almost treason in 1941.

course after Jane Fonda went to hanoi and kissed commiegook ass who’s surprised at anything

have they paroled Jihad Johnny yet?


95 posted on 03/26/2008 8:03:40 PM PDT by wardaddy (Obama: The candidate for those who think Deliverance was a documentary.)
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To: We Dare Defend Our Rights
There is a chance that traitor #3 (Thompson) could be defeated in 2008.

Doug Pharr

96 posted on 03/26/2008 8:14:35 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham ("The land of the Free...Because of the Brave")
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To: bad company
I bet this has been known for a long time. Rats don't care...this will make them heroes in their party.


SADDAM HUSSEIN:
Finances the murder of Jews in Israel
AND
trips for Democrat legislators.

He's a full-service kind of guy.

97 posted on 03/26/2008 8:17:57 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat ((I am SO glad to no longer be associated with the party of Dependence on Government!))
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To: Recovering_Democrat
I didn’t realize that the “Oil for Food” program had an adjunct “Oil for Useful Idiot Democrat Stooges”
98 posted on 03/26/2008 8:20:24 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham ("The land of the Free...Because of the Brave")
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To: kalee
There was no indication the three lawmakers knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.

Who did they think was paying?!?!

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These guys are the Three Stooges reincarnated!

You could have probably “Googled” the ticket provider's name to get some insight into Mohammed's background.

I assume as Leaders in Congress they could have asked the State Department, the Justice Department or the Department of Defense to do a search on the contributor. Wonder if they flew in a private jet, commercial or Iraqi Air?

If I recall they used all their energies to demoralize our Troops and then got Murtha on the bandwagon.

I haven't seen a comment from any of the dynamic trio, has anyone else?

99 posted on 03/26/2008 8:30:13 PM PDT by not2worry ( What goes around comes around!)
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To: bad company

The real question is, why are these three whores still in Congress?


100 posted on 03/26/2008 8:47:54 PM PDT by popdonnelly (Get Reid. Salazar, and Harkin out of the Senate.)
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