FBI probes Halliburton's Pentagon contracts(The Real October surprise)

MSNBC and Newsday ^ | 10-28-04 | Charles Bolen

[WVbowhunter]

FBI probes Halliburton's Pentagon contracts ASSOCIATED PRESS October 28, 2004, 6:53 PM EDT WASHINGTON -- The FBI has begun investigating whether the Pentagon improperly awarded no-bid contracts to Halliburton Co., seeking an interview with a top Army contracting officer and collecting documents from several government offices.

The line of inquiry expands an earlier FBI investigation into whether Halliburton overcharged taxpayers for fuel in Iraq, and it elevates to a criminal matter the election-year question of whether the Bush administration showed favoritism to Vice President Dick Cheney's former company.

FBI agents this week sought permission to interview Bunnatine Greenhouse, the Army Corps of Engineers' chief contracting officer who went public last weekend with allegations that her agency unfairly awarded KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, no-bid contracts worth billions of dollars for work in Iraq, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Asked about the documents, Greenhouse's lawyers said Thursday their client will cooperate but that she wants whistle-blower protection from Pentagon retaliation.

"I think it (the FBI interview request) underscores the seriousness of the misconduct, and it also demonstrates how courageous Ms. Greenhouse was for stepping forward," said Stephen Kohn, one of her attorneys.

"The initiation of an FBI investigation into criminal misconduct will help restore public confidence," Kohn said. "The Army must aggressively protect Ms. Greenhouse from the retaliation she will encounter as a result of blowing the whistle on this misconduct."

FBI agents also recently began collecting documents from Army offices in Texas and elsewhere to examine how and why Halliburton, a Houston-based oil services conglomerate, got the no-bid work.

"The Corps is absolutely cooperating with the FBI, and it has been an ongoing effort," said Army Corps spokeswoman Carol Sanders.

[Lancey Howard]

I smell a Rat in the FBI. A dirty DemocRAT. I think that we will find a serious credibility issue if the RNC investigates quickly enough.

It's a shame that the FBI does not have to answer to the President or his cabinet.

For example, if the FBI reported to, say, John Ashcroft and his Justice Department, this sort of investigation would NEVER have been started or publicized the way it has, in such a crass and obvious manner, during an election week.

A guy like Ashcroft would NEVER let this happen if he was in charge of the FBI, and if some rogue agent thought that he could initiate something like this on his own, with no direction and no heads-up to the top of the chain-of-command, he would pay with his career.

[Txsleuth]

I heard Ed Gillespie on two talk show today say that 60 Minutes is already lining up another gotcha October surprise to replace the explosives story that NYT stole. Any ideas , anyone, anyone?

[Danno]

Read the article - it is telling, only in that it is trying, like the NY Times weapons dump story at the beginning of the week, to raise a stir with a headline. Getting into the meat of all of this is routine FBI investigation that HAS to be done as a matter of protocol:

Greenhouse alleged in her complaint that after her superiors signed off on the Iraq business in February 2003, a month before the war began, and returned it for her necessary approval, she specifically asked why the work was being extended for several years. Beside her signature, Greenhouse wrote: "I caution that extending this sole-source effort beyond a one-year period could convey an invalid perception that there is not strong intent for a limited competition," the complaint said.

The complaintant, Ms. Greenhouse is simply opining on how she feels contracts should be awarded. There is no proof or direct allegation of wrongdoing.

Here again we have people in the MSM trying to pathetically pull an October surprise.

[elizabetty]

How can this be a SURPRISE? We have all been repeatedly inoculated against the word HALLIBURTON by the Kerry Edwards attack machine.

[Timeout]

Next development:

Tomorrow afternoon Bunnatine Greenhouse, attorney at her side, holds a tearful press conference announcing that she's receiving death threats!! and has shipped the kids off to Mom's house. The libs' last refuge....and the media will go all Bunnatine, all the time.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

To my knowledge, Halliburton is about the only domestic company that is multi-disciplined enough to do the work that is being done. From building schools to repair and maintenance of power plants, as well as rpairing and maintaining refineries. Not to mention, the ability to extinguish oil fires. Their record of serving in the type of contracts that have been let, including Kosovo, has been exemplary. Overcharges for gas, etc. are to be expected when your personnel are being shot at, blown up, set on fire, or hung from bridges. Clinton had no problem awarding no-bid contract to Halliburton. Possibly, this investigation will include the former administration. Not much will come od this. My humble opinion.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

To my knowledge, Halliburton is about the only domestic company that is multi-disciplined enough to do the work that is being done. From building schools to repair and maintenance of power plants, as well as rpairing and maintaining refineries. Not to mention, the ability to extinguish oil fires. Their record of serving in the type of contracts that have been let, including Kosovo, has been exemplary. Overcharges for gas, etc. are to be expected when your personnel are being shot at, blown up, set on fire, or hung from bridges. Clinton had no problem awarding no-bid contract to Halliburton. Possibly, this investigation will include the former administration. Not much will come of this. My humble opinion.

[rodguy911]

The whole thing looks screwy, no I would not cash a check for butane greenhouse or any other phony name made up by another Peter principle hire.

[7mmMag@LeftCoast]

You're joking right?

Ashcroft = Attorney General
Head of Department of Justice
FBI a division of the Department of Justice

and yes the FBI is full of leftist. They were stacked in there like firewood, same at CIA, during the 8 years of the Billary administration.

[Avenger]

The only people who care about Halliburton are already going to vote for Kerry. No one else cares.

[Ranxerox]

since there are 3 companies in the world that can do what they do, and only 1 is American, there's no reason not to give them no-bid contracts.

Not to pic nits, but the real term for these contracts is "sole-source", not "no-bid". They are only awarded in cases where no other company exists or is unable to meet the specifications of the contract. The government is also required to provide justification for using a sole-source contract.

[MarkL]

This is such OLD news is this the best they can do?

They're just taking anything that they can find, and throwing it out to see if they can make anything stick... They're desperate, since everything else has been discredited. It's going to be a very long 4 days.

Mark

[Lancey Howard]

and yes the FBI is full of leftist. They were stacked in there like firewood, same at CIA, during the 8 years of the Billary administration.

Clinton did that?
Maybe someday a Republican President who is as smart as Clinton will stack conservatives in there like firewood.

[xkaydet65]

It's much too late to get historical, but hey I teach History. In 1940 an Idaho construction company, Morrison and Knudsen was given a contract by the Navy to consruct naval air stations, airfields, barracks, defensive fortificatons on a variety of Pacific Islands, These included Midway, Wake, Johnson, Palmyra. and Somoa. It was a very big contract. It was given out without bidding as the Navy melded M-K with several smaller companies to form a construction conglomerate. Why is this important? These companies took on a job, had an expertise and a track record that allowed the Navy to select them. In the end they finished the work on Johnson and Midway, but were interrrupted on Wake where 1100 employess of M-K were captured and over 100 killed, 90 of which were executed on Wake in 45.

The Morrison Knudsen of today is the Kellogg, Brown and Root division of Halliburton. It has the talent and expertise and track record to meet the quals. I think if you dig deep enough you'll find the origins of KBR's work for the military is as a joint contractor with Morrison Kmudsen in 1940, building Navy airfields.

I hold no stock, know no employees or managers of Halliburton and KBR, but I think it's about time for someone to say it's not a crime for an American company to do a good job over a long period of time, and to have earned the contracts it receives.

[tndarlin]

Just saw on my Nashville local news a story about the FBI probe into Halliburton.

I am so upset about the media never stating the truth about no contract bids and about what Halliburton does.

[7mmMag@LeftCoast]

you are right Clinton was very smart.

Smart enough to enter office with the Rats owning the House for 38 years, The Senate, The Majority of Governorships and State Legislatures. /sarcasm off/

2 years later the GOP has the House, the Senate, the majority of Governorships and State Legislatures. And has ever since! Clinton was the best damn thing to happen to the GOP and America in a long time.

If he was any smarter the only two parties left would be the GOP and Libertarian. It's a damn shame we didn't just let him keep digging his 'brilliant' hole.

[rocklobster11]

This story is getting alot of press. Chris Matthews led with it. It's been the 1st or 2nd story at the top of every hour on Fox and ABC radio. We are downplaying it because we know it is complete crap, but the media will push anything they can at this point. Bush is on his way to victory, and they will stop at nothing to try to derail him. I'm sure this is a low level FBI investigation started only at the request of some Democratic congressman (hello Henry Waxman...), but the problem is that the FBI may say "We don't comment on ongoing investigations".

This needs to be put to bed quickly, and it shouldn't be that hard to do.

[rodguy911]

Oh man I hope not.

[MHGinTN]

The BM (Big Media) lickspittlists will carefully avoid revealing that Clinton awarded billion-dollar contracts to Halliburton during the Kosovo campaign ... it is all about the BM trying to get their anointed demon elected.