Levin Gets An Apology From Gates Over Crocker Claim

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, asked Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at a hearing today about a letter his committee had received from the Pentagon. It described, Levin said, a coming shift of $600 million to pay for Iraqi reconstruction.

Levin noted that U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said on Tuesday that the United States was “no longer involved in the physical reconstruction business. ... The same day we’re asked to shift $600 million to reconstruction.” He added that “today the president says we’re almost down to zero” in terms of reconstruction spending.

Gates told Levin that there must be some confusion and that perhaps the money was intended to pay Iraqi police or other military forces, but that it was most likely not for reconstruction.

About 15 minutes later, Gates was passed a note by an aide. He stopped the proceedings to offer an apology to Levin, concluding that the $600 million was in fact intended for reconstruction. “[T]here are actually things that go on that I don’t know about,” said Gates by way of explanation. “I will take a very close look at it. ... I think this is an area where there is broad agreement the Iraqis should be spending their own money.”