Hagel to State Dept. & DOD: give us all records on Chalabi

[sabra]

http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/997/Chalabis_Head_on_the_Block

<snip>

The Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing descended into an uncharacteristic vitriole today when the subject turned to Ahmed Chalabi.

Sen. Joe Biden stated, among other negative assessments of Chalabi, that he had "zero, zero, zero confidence" in the man.

Sen. Chuck Hagel then stepped in out-of-turn to aggressively interject that he agreed with the things Biden was saying, and added that he thought Chalabi was "duplicitous." Hagel went on to request that the State Deptartment send the committee all records on Chalabi, specifically mentioning that he wanted to know what bad information Chalabi had sold the government.

...

What Hagel would like to know:

--the history of Chalabi's relations with the U.S. government

--what contracts he was awarded

--how much money he was paid

--what was required from him in return

--the history of his record of success/failure

--his involvement with the Iranians

And Hagel said he wants records from both the State Department and the Department of Defense.

[rubberducky]

1. WOW!!!!!!

Wonder if he`ll recieve the docs he wants?? K&R

[babylonsister]

2. I want to know, too. How exactly did Chalabi influence this admin, or

directly help them in the march to war?

[Sal Minella]

4. Couple years ago I read he was being paid $350,000 a month but those payments were stopped

when the U.S. (I don't remember what branch of government) realized he was inventing the intelligence reports he was giving them.....as in "making it up" -- I was surprised at the time more fuss wasn't made about this, and I was AMAZED when he re-invented himself as the Oil Minister in Iraq -- I had gathered the feeling the Iraqis considered him persona non grata more or less and I am still wondering how he got to be oil minister, having scrood over both the Iraqis and the U.S. govt.........

[Robbien]

12. Yes. I read somewhere the group paying Chalabi is the PR group

which morphed into the Lincoln Group. The Lincoln Group is the company paid tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to do good news propaganda for Iraq newspapers.

[Norquist Nemesis]

14. Correct! The operative words being "taxpayer dollars"

It was set up by the Pentagon, IIRC, while the Cons happily and dutifully signed the checks.

[underpants]

15. Here you go

At first the Lincoln Group worked with the Rendon Group, "a public relations firm that had already played a major role in leading the U.S. into war through its work for Ahmed Chalabi and his Iraqi National Congress." After Rendon left the project Lincoln "hired another Washington-based public relations firm as a subcontractor -- BKSH & Associates, headed by Republican political strategist Charles R. Black, Jr. BKSH is a subsidiary of Burson-Marszteller, a PR firm whose previous experience in Iraq also included work for Chalabi and the INC. Other Pentagon contracts for public relations work were awarded to SYColeman Inc. of Arlington, Virginia, and Science applications International Corporation. All totaled, the PR contracts added up to $300 million over a five-year period."

http://www.mediatransparency.com/storyprinterfriendly.php?storyID=161

[Robbien]

16. Thanks

Good to know my memory isn't completely swiss cheese.

Thanks for the link.

[Sal Minella]

17. Hooboy...Thanks for info & link....I had missed all this entirely.

Nice to find out my memory hadn't gone completely haywire, but distressing to find there are so many tentacles reaching so far....thanks.

[Hubert Flottz]

31. And what makes me want to pound the wrinkles out of my face

with a ten pound splitting maul, is this!

The GOP leaders can pay some scum sucking pig like that, $350,000.00 a month and not bat an eye, but want to bitch and whine and cry like a baby, about paying some senior American citizen, who has always "played by the rules" and worked and paid into it all their working life, their Social Security benefits.

[exlrrp]

35. the repubs don't get phony intell from the average Joe

Like they did with Chalabi.
Fiasco, by T Wicks does the best job Ive read so far of covering the Chalabi fiasco. Woodward also covered it in State of Denial.
Chalabi and his IRC turned over 6 "defectors" to the Bush aadministration--ALL of them wwere phony. the primary intell source for the Bush administration was Chalabi and the IRC--all the crap about being greeted as liberators, the WNDs, the "nucular" program--it al;l came from chalabi..
but what REALLY brings the outrage is that Bushco set up Chalabi to win big in Iraq--he may be the only winner. First the plan was for chalabi and the IRC to have their own pribvate army--the neocons like Feith and Wolfowitz were really pushing this. This "private army" was created but was so ineffectual and staffed with looney tunes that the US military refused to work with them. Did I say taxpayer dollars PAID for this? And all this while Chalabi was under indictment in Jordan for fraud and thievery.
The US really needs to open the door on the Chaalabi chapter, we need to see what we paid this republican crook and where the money went

from: http://www.consortiumnews.com/Print/2004/052504.html

"...Many of the overly optimistic assumptions behind the war, as well as much of the supposed evidence of Iraqi WMD stockpiles, came from Chalabi and his associates. After the invasion, U.S. forces discovered that much of the information was bogus.

Initially, many observers suspected that Chalabi had promoted the false information either to make money or to get the U.S. to install him in power in Iraq. But the new allegations suggest that Chalabi also may have been a stalking horse for Iranian leaders seeking to get the United States to do what Iran couldn’t do: remove Saddam Hussein from power.

On May 21, Chalabi’s Baghdad home was raided by U.S.-backed Iraqi police as part of an investigation into suspicions that INC officials had passed sensitive intelligence about U.S. troop positions to Iran. A warrant also was issued for the arrest of Aras Habib, Chalabi’s top intelligence adviser, on a variety of charges. Appearing on U.S. news programs, Chalabi has denied the “smear” and blamed CIA Director George Tenet for spreading the allegations.

Investigative journalist Knut Royce of Newsday reported on May 22 that “the Defense Intelligence Agency has concluded that a U.S.-funded arm of Ahmed Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress has been used for years by Iranian intelligence to pass disinformation to the United States and to collect highly sensitive American secrets, according to intelligence sources.”

Royce quoted an intelligence source as saying “Iranian intelligence has been manipulating the United States through Chalabi by furnishing through his Information Collection Program information to provoke the United States into getting rid of Saddam Hussein.” The source also said the program, which was supported by $340,000 a month from the Defense Department, passed on classified U.S. documents to Iran. The DIA’s findings were based on a review of thousands of internal documents, Royce reported.

Patrick Lang, former director of the DIA’s Middle East branch, said he learned from his associates that Chalabi’s supplying of evidence about Iraq’s WMD was essentially an Iranian intelligence scam, “one of the most sophisticated and successful intelligence operations in history,” according to Royce’s article.

As recently as four months ago, Chalabi was so well regarded by the Bush administration that he was given a spot of honor at Bush’s State of the Union speech, behind First Lady Laura Bush..."

[Norquist Nemesis]

9. I'd like to know how much he's influencing them now, as well!

One day he's the favorite son, the next he's a scheming charlatan, then back cream of the crop again.

[JohnnyLib2]

3. Hagel is really on a tear.

Gotta be impressed.

[LSK]

6. indeed he is, did you see him yesterday?

Wow!

[Sal Minella]

8. But check out the voting record.....

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Chuck_Hagel.htm

When he was "elected" there was much talk about his being former exec and stockholder in the company that made the machines that "counted" the "votes" -- there was too much smoke here for a "no fire" diagnosis, imnsho.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. What a difference being in the Minority makes!

One thing that having the Democrats in the Majority has given Hagel (also Specter and to a certain extent, Warner) is some oomf in the oversight responsibility should they choose to use it. If the Cons were still in the Majority, Rove and Cheney would just pick up the phone and tell them to be nice or else.

[LSK]

7. I wonder how much Frist kept them under lock and key?

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. Frist was just the messenger

The WH held the keys.

[blm]

22. Geez - I find myself agreeing with you more each day.

.

[Swamp Rat]

10. GEAUX GET DEM BASTIDS HAGEL!!!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[spanone]

13. Holy Shit, This is fantastic. This could unleash ALL the illegalities. Go Chuck.

[EVDebs]

26. It all ends in a charge of TREASON

since those in "intelligence" actively promoted false info put out by Chalabi and Iranian interests as Pat Lange has shown

""The article goes on to cite Patrick Lang, former director of the DIA's Middle East desk, who "said he had been told by colleagues in the intelligence community that Chalabi's U.S.-funded program to provide information about weapons of mass destruction and insurgents was effectively an Iranian intelligence operation":

"'They knew exactly what we were up to,' he said. He described it as 'one of the most sophisticated and successful intelligence operations in history.' 'I'm a spook. I appreciate good work. This was good work,' he said." ""

http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=6763

[Nite Owl]

18. Very interesting indeed

Wasn't it the GOP that turned on Nixon that finally brought him down? I hope this is what we are seeing. Hopefully when they get the info or are stonewalled on it Hagel will be bringing more from his side with him.

[The Count]

19. I looked for him at SOTU - he wasn't next to Pickles...I dunno why?

:shrug:

[quiet.american]

20. All well and good, but why the hell is the Dem leadership letting a GOP'er lead the way?

Just asking!

When are Speaker Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Reid, all Dems running for president in '08, Sen. Joe Biden et al. going to take the mush out of their mouths, stop effin' around, confront Bush head-on, bring a stop this insane war crime and hold those who committed this high crime against the country accountable.

(Okay, that's a tall order -- but enough of all the rhetoric -- time for the Dems to get down to cases and show us (those who voted them in) the money, so to speak. They keep claiming to have listened to the American people -- yet bizarrely, it is Chuck Hagel?! who keeps nailing what the Dems supposedly heard from the voters. What the hell is going on?)

[Straight Shooter]

28. Because Hagel has more influence with other members of the GOP and bushbots.

It also sends a stronger message to the bush administration about the seriousness of their intent. It wouldn't look good for the White House to start yelling that members of their own party are "soft on terrorists." :)

[quiet.american]

29. This is a two-edged sword.

Yes, well and good for Hagel to be the "bi-partisan" go-to man, on the other hand, it seems that the Dems outside of our stalwart anti-Iraq war champions (those being Murtha, Kucinich, Boxer, etc.) who are giving lip service to "the will of the American people" need to substantially add their weight to directly confronting the administration on Iraq.

I'm thinking of Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid in particular, and in terms of presidential candidates, Sen. Obama, Sen. Clinton and Sen. Biden. I realize Rome wasn't built in a day, but there's something amiss with Dems acknowledging that Iraq was the number one reason they were elected, yet Hagel is now emerging as the fiercest, most direct opponent?

This is not to say there is no fighting spirit in the Dem leadership. However, as we now are the majority in both Houses, why is Biden holding back? Especially since he's also running for president?

"Non-binding resolutions" don't cut it. Rumsfeld still on the taxpayer's dime with an office and staff at the Pentagon don't cut it. Pointless email petitions don't cut it.

And Hagel as the vocal representative of the voters who voted for Democratic leadership doesn't quite cut it either. However, it's early days yet. I fervently hope Biden is planning to go beyond "non-binding resolutions."

[Straight Shooter]

34. Why is Biden holding back?

I dunno, but my perception of him is that he's really not a fighter. :shrug:

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. Chalabi = Cheney's guy. I hope they aren't going to give the cabal a way 'out' of their

responsibility for starting an illegal invasion by making Chalabi the scapegoat in all of this. Blame it all on Chalabi and the cabal will be seen as HIS victims.

The State Dept will stall this info anyway. It will never see the light of day.

[Blue_In_AK]

23. Good! Go after that little Chalabi weasel.

Smarmy little bastard.

[annabanana]

24. Boy, is HE in for a surprise....... . . . .

Wait until he finds out that "his" president holds him in the same contempt that he holds all of Congress, the American people and the whole world.

[rateyes]

25. I think Chalabi threw...

a CURVEBALL, don't you think?

[Doctor_J]

27. Everyone's lining up to take a swing at Curveball

I like the way this is going

[Wizard777]

30. But Saddam sent men with evil axes to chop him into iddy biddy peices.

They must have been some of those Anslinger pot heads. You know one of these days they will make it a crime to lie to Congress even when it results in a war. Oh hell! Especially when it results in a war.

[dogday]

32. Uh-Oh Spaghetti-O's

It's getting very interesting these days up on the hill...

[xultar]

33. OK. I'm gonna 'do' Hagel for just being a total mavrick.

[seabeyond]

36. from day one i have wanted this whole sordid filth to be investigated.

and am still waiting because he is still involved in the whole mess. good for them.