Feds: Saddam Regime Financed U.S. Junket

Prosecutors: Pre-War Trip By 3 U.S. Lawmakers Secretly Paid For By Former Dictator's Agency

(CBS/AP)  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, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

An indictment unsealed in Detroit accuses Muthanna Al-Hanooti, a member of a Michigan nonprofit group, 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.

At the time, the Bush administration was trying to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Iraq.

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."

“The trip was approved by the U.S. State Department," Rep. Thompson said in a statement. "Obviously, had there been any question at all regarding the sponsor of the trip or the funding, I would not have participated.”

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."

Though weapons of mass destruction ultimately were never found, the lawmakers drew criticism for their trip at the time.

Oklahoma Sen. Don Nickles, the second-ranking Senate Republican at the time, said the Democrats "sound somewhat like spokespersons for the Iraqi government."

Al-Hanooti was arrested Tuesday night while returning to the U.S. from the Middle East, where he was looking for a job, his attorney, James Thomas, said. Al-Hanooti pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, illegally purchasing Iraqi oil and lying to authorities. He was being held on $100,000 bail.

Thomas said Al-Hanooti would "vigorously defend" himself against the charges but he could not discuss the specifics of the case since he had seen none of the evidence.

Al-Hanooti worked on and off from 1999 to 2006 as a public relations coordinator for Life for Relief and Development, a Michigan group formed after the first Gulf War to fund humanitarian work in Iraq. FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force agents raided the charity's headquarters in 2006 but charged nobody and allowed the agency to continue operating.

Prosecutors said Al-Hanooti was responsible for monitoring Congress for the Iraqi Intelligence Service. From 1999 to 2002, he allegedly provided Saddam's government with a list of U.S. lawmakers he believed favored lifting economic sanctions against Iraq.

In exchange for coordinating the congressional trip, Al-Hanooti allegedly received 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil, prosecutors said.

DeCesare said McDermott was invited to go to Iraq by a Seattle church group and was unaware of any other funding for the trip.

[downsteamjim]

To USBrit: You knew about this 6 years ago?

[usbrit-2009]

Ya gotta love repukes - they''re up to only 6 years out of date with their smears on the democrats. In the last few months I''ve heard "Well Kennedy was a philanderer too" - has to be pre 11/63; then there''s the late lamented Mary Jo and Ted K that we''ve all been reminded about so much - when was that ''68 - ''69?
Then of course the infamomous BJ for Bill ''98 - only 10 years old!!! And now this from 2002. If that''s all they can find from 45 years of democratic history - sod ''em - I can find more than that from the repukes just last year!!!

[downsteamjim]

Debunked ??? What exactly was debunked ? - are you implying now that Dumbya really did serve ????
Posted by parrot123

Are you implying that Dan Rather believed the documents were real?

[downsteamjim]

Its a shame that poor lovable Saddam lost his country and his life. Now he won''t be the second Hussien to be keynote speaker for the Democrat Convention in Denver.

[parrot123-2009]

"Let me just tell you something chumps. It''''''''s a question of judgment. If in your personal life you don''''''''t honor your commitments or act responsibly, then when you are entrusted with the people''''''''s business, you will not change your stripes. You will also act irresponsibly. It''''''''s a fact"--
Posted by mudrose

I take it you were not surprised how Dumbya had turned out as POTUS. Cheers!

[parrot123-2009]

Still spouting debunked LIES from the Dan Rather school of journalism.
Posted by mbcsmith at 10:41 AM : Mar 27, 2008

Debunked ??? What exactly was debunked ? - are you implying now that Dumbya really did serve ????

[mbcsmith]

Be sure to send your note to President Bushit. He had an obligation to serve his full term in the Texass Air Guard, but first he slipped off to Alabama where he was never seen on post, then he deserted when he moved to Massachusetts and was obligated to report for duty, but failed to.

This is an example of how the Neoconscum''''s top man fulfills his obligations.

And it shows in the sleazy, corrupt, incompetent government Mudrose''''s heros have cursed us with since 2000.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by gkc99 at 09:45 AM : Mar 27, 2008


Still spouting debunked LIES from the Dan Rather school of journalism.

[stn_sage]

Let''s see---in the Fall of 2002 the Bush administration was pushing Congress for military action against Iraq, and the trip was approved by the State Department who apparently had no problems with it! SO---why are charges against the travellers EVEN being mentioned?!

If there are any charges---it seems to me---they should be against the State Dept for authorizing the trip! Or, any Bush appointees who encouraged the trip knowing Mr.Bush was pushing for war! Can you say setup or conspiracy? Words that have frequently come up associated to the Bush administration!

As far as Don Nickles (R-OK) goes, if he''d spend just a fraction of his time taking actions beneficial to the public---for a change---instead of ''popping off'' dripping poison from his mouth---both his state and the country would be better off! He''s a loser and I''m glad he doesn''t represent my state! I''d be ashamed!

[kaylag04]

The Republic was designed for public service to be a chore, a duty of leading citizens. Public "service" is now an ivitation for the power-hungry to enter royal ranks.

Republicrats take junkets financed by Halliburton, Saddam, The Brady Campaighn, Exxon and others. It''s what we get for allowing politics to become a profession and electing leaders that have no saleable skills and only saleable principles. From Johnson to Clinton and from Nixon to Bush - meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

[gkc99]

"Let me just tell you something chumps. It''''s a question of judgment. If in your personal life you don''''t honor your commitments or act responsibly, then when you are entrusted with the people''''s business, you will not change your stripes. You will also act irresponsibly. It''''s a fact"--Posted by mudrose



Be sure to send your note to President Bushit. He had an obligation to serve his full term in the Texass Air Guard, but first he slipped off to Alabama where he was never seen on post, then he deserted when he moved to Massachusetts and was obligated to report for duty, but failed to.

This is an example of how the Neoconscum''s top man fulfills his obligations.

And it shows in the sleazy, corrupt, incompetent government Mudrose''s heros have cursed us with since 2000.

[harp1963]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/60minutes/main592330.shtml

[mudrose-2009]

Part III

McDermott identified that charity as the group financing the Iraq trip. In House disclosure forms, he put the cost at $5,510. Thompson also understood the charity to be financing the trip, spokeswoman Anne Warden said.

Prosecutors said Al-Hanooti was responsible for monitoring Congress for the Iraqi Intelligence Service. From 1999 to 2002, he allegedly provided Saddam''s government with a list of U.S. lawmakers he believed favored lifting economic sanctions against Iraq.

Yes, of course, the State Department approved it, it was sponsored by the CARE charity group. BUT I HAVEN''T HEARD ANY SPOKESPERSON FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT SAY YES IT WAS AUTHORIZED.

Dimnowits, always painting a rosey picture when it concerns their vile escapades - ya know, what''s the big deal? Who cares! Their personal lives are their lives not anyone''s business!

Let me just tell you something chumps. It''s a question of judgment. If in your personal life you don''t honor your commitments or act responsibly, then when you are entrusted with the people''s business, you will not change your stripes. You will also act irresponsibly. It''s a fact.

[mudrose-2009]

Part II

Oklahoma Sen. Don Nickles, then the second-ranking Senate Republican, said the Democrats "sound somewhat like spokespersons for the Iraqi government." Seattle-area conservatives dubbed McDermott "Baghdad Jim" for the Iraq trip.

Al-Hanooti was arrested Tuesday night while returning to the U.S. from the Middle East, where he was looking for a job, his attorney, James Thomas, said. Al-Hanooti pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, illegally purchasing Iraqi oil and lying to authorities. He was being held on $100,000 bail.

Between 1999 and 2006, he worked on and off as a public relations coordinator for Life for Relief and Development, a charity formed after the first Gulf War to fund humanitarian work in Iraq. FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force agents raided the charity''s headquarters in 2006 but charged nobody and allowed the agency to continue operating.

[mudrose-2009]

Part I

Both McDermott and Thompson are popular among liberal voters in their reliably Democratic districts for their anti-war views. Bonior is no longer in Congress.

Thompson released a statement Wednesday saying the trip was approved by the State Department.

"Obviously, had there been any question at all regarding the sponsor of the trip or the funding, I would not have participated," he said.

During the trip, the lawmakers expressed skepticism about the Bush administration''s claims that Saddam was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. Though such weapons ultimately were never found, the lawmakers drew criticism for their trip at the time.

[hhroams]

Heil Herr Schrub!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[regnullify]

x-legion-x, guess it''s ok to lie about the reasons for war and cause the deaths of 4000+ troops. But harmless lies by democrats, oh my!

[regnullify]

Ritewingman adds yet another hilarious comment from those who back a Rebublican administration that pushed this country into a war of occupaton with a pack of lies.

[x-legion-x]

WoW! Democrats siding with the enemy! Who would have thought that? lol They have been the universal spokesman for Al Queida *** near from the beginning of the war. This is what they do. It stared many many years ago, when Joe Kennedy was a staunch supporter of Adolph Hitler before, and abit during, WW2.

The dems of today, are just following their own tradition: Hate your country...embrace your enemy.

WATCHOUT ! SNIPER FIRE !!!! DUCK--RUN TO THE LIMO! RUSH TO THE BASE !!! Sorry Hillary, that''s not "misspeaking", thats fabrication and lies.

[navyretired2]

Wow what''s the big deal? These types of trips happen all the time, and this one WAS APPROVED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT! How is this top headline news?

If it was a major headline every time a politician took a trip that was funded by another government, CBS would have to buy new servers.

[singingrick]

ritewingman


You find those WMD''s yet?

No?

Well keep looking.


lol!