WALL STREET JOURNAL: BUSH SR. IN BUSINESS WITH BIN LADEN FAMILY CONGLOMERATE THROUGH CARLYLE GROUP

Judicial Watch ^ | September 30, 2001 | staff

[liberallarry]

WALL STREET JOURNAL: BUSH SR. IN BUSINESS WITH BIN LADEN FAMILY CONGLOMERATE THROUGH CARLYLE GROUP

FAMILY HAD RENOUNCED TIES TO TERRORIST SON BUT FAMILY STILL UNDER FBI INVESTIGATION

FATHER OF PRESIDENT SHOULD PULL OUT OF INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING FIRM

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, reacted with disbelief to The Wall Street Journal report of yesterday that George H.W. Bush, the father of President Bush, works for the bin Laden family business in Saudi Arabia through the Carlyle Group, an international consulting firm. The senior Bush had met with the bin Laden family at least twice. (Other top Republicans are also associated with the Carlyle group, such as former Secretary of State James A. Baker.) The terrorist leader Osama bin Laden had supposedly been “disowned” by his family, which runs a multi-billion dollar business in Saudi Arabia and is a major investor in the senior Bush’s firm. Other reports have questioned, though, whether members of his Saudi family have truly cut off Osama bin Laden. Indeed, the Journal also reported yesterday that the FBI has subpoenaed the bin Laden family business’s bank records.

Judicial Watch earlier this year had strongly criticized President Bush’s father’s association with the Carlyle Group, pointing out in a March 5 statement that it was a “conflict of interest (which) could cause problems for America’s foreign policy in Middle East and Asia.” Judicial Watch called for the senior Bush to resign from the firm then.

“This conflict of interest has now turned into a scandal. The idea of the President’s father, an ex-president himself, doing business with a company under investigation by the FBI in the terror attacks of September 11 is horrible. President Bush should not ask, but demand, that his father pull out of the Carlyle Group,” stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman.

“This has the potential of making ‘Billygate’ (Jimmy Carter’s brother’s dealings with Libya) look like small potatoes,” added Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

See "Bin Laden Family Could Profit From a Jump In Defense Spending Due to Ties to U.S. Bank," by Daniel Golden, James Bandler, and Marcus Walker, The Wall Street Journal, 9/28/01 (www.wsj.com, subscription required).

[roughrider]

I think the post about Jim Bath was deleted. I went to look up your response, and it was gone. It took awhile to reproduce all of that, too.

[Nick Danger]

do you mean to say the the bin Ladens are a minor investor and therefore there is no meaningful relationship?

Did you mean to imply in Note #82 that the Bush family is associated with world terrorism and is in secret alliance with those who crashed into the World Center and the Pentagon? Don't answer that, consider it a test of your sanity.

[liberallarry]

I've known very wealthy men - hundreds of millions of dollars - but not men of such power. I've watched some friends financial advisers pull money out just ahead of a crash and re-invest just ahead of a rise but never got straight answers as to how it was done.
At this point I don't even know what questions to ask next. I need time to digest a lot of this stuff. I've got 10 threads going with only partly read material and lots of necessary research. Thanks for your help. I'll get back to you.

[liberallarry]

Sorry to take so much time getting back to you.

"Because I at one time foolishly sent money to Judicial Watch, would you say that HE works for ME?"

I ignored this because it's so obviously foolishness. But the serious answer is that it depends on the scale of your investment and the rights that come with it. The bin Ladens have invested 2 million up front and much more that's not been revealed, according to the story. A later post says that's still very little compared to the other investors. The story, or Hoovers, says that Carlyle is a consulting firm. I don't know whether Mr. Bush works for them or is merely another investor. Either way I would say the bin Ladens are in a position to exert some influence. Also the bin Ladens are big-time. Some of the other officers of Carlyle have visited them in Saudi Arabia. That doesn't happen with a two-bit contribution to Judicial Watch.

[BunnySlippers]

Bookmark

[harpu]

Damn, Nick, it pains me to see one's time wasted (#98) so lavishly
by responding to a fool like 'jamesbond' BUT that's your call.

[Gracey]

Looks like Judicial Watch is running out of funds. They're hoping to get some moola from Ben Ladin.

[rdavis84]

"I think the post about Jim Bath was deleted. I went to look up your response, and it was gone. It took awhile to reproduce all of that, too."

Have you found it? If not, maybe a new separate post on Bath might be of benefit.

I went looking for Jim Bath ties to Bush not too long back and found very little. There was quite a lot of info just prior to the elections.

[rdavis84]

From ------ Bath, Bush, Bin Laden

"Osama embraced Islamic fundamentalism and is now the world's most wanted man. "Salem went on to become a business partner of the man who is leading the hunt for his brother," the Daily Mail's Peter Allen said. "In the 1970s, he and George W. Bush were founders of the Arbusto Energy oil company in Mr. Bush's home state of Texas."

President Bush and the bin Laden family have been connected through dubious business deals since 1977, when Salem, the head of the bin Laden family business, one of the biggest construction companies in the world, invested in Bush's start-up oil company, Arbusto Energy, Inc.

James R. Bath, a friend and neighbor, was used to funnel money from Osama bin Laden's brother, Salem bin Laden, to set up George W. Bush in the oil business, according to The Wall Street Journal and other reputable sources."