FBI investigating Haliburton , The october Surprises just keep comming - The Orange Mane

Spider · 10-28-2004, 05:30 PM

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...iburton28.html
FBI investigating how Halliburton got contracts

By John Solomon
The Associated Press

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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 today their client will cooperate but that she wants whistleblower 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 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. "Our role is to cooperate. It's a public contract and public funds. We've been providing them information for quite a while."

Wendy Hall, a Halliburton spokeswoman, said the company is cooperating with various investigations, but she dismissed the latest revelation as election politics. She noted Congress' auditing arm, the Government Accountability Office, found the company's no-bid work in Iraq was legal.

"The old allegations have once again been recycled, this time one week before the election," Hall said. "The GAO said earlier this year that the contract was properly awarded because Halliburton was the only contractor that could do the work.

"We look forward to the end of the election, because no matter who is elected president, Halliburton is proud to serve the troops just as we have for the past 60 years for both Democrat and Republican administrations," she said.

Cheney spokesman Kevin Kellems, asked if investigators had contacted the vice president or his office about the contracts, said they had not.

Democrats have tried hard to make Halliburton an election-year issue

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee who has been investigating Halliburton's contracts, said his office was told the FBI recently sought documents from various government offices. The requests focused on how and why Halliburton got the Iraq contracts.

"This multibillion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton was suspicious from day one, and now our worst suspicions are confirmed," Lautenberg said. "The FBI doesn't get involved unless there are possible criminal violations."

In a formal whistleblower complaint filed last week, Greenhouse alleged the award of contracts without competition to KBR puts at risk "the integrity of the federal contracting program as it relates to a major defense contractor." The contracts were to restore Iraq's oil industry.

Among the evidence cited in the complaint was an internal 2003 Pentagon e-mail that says the Iraq contract "has been coordinated" with Cheney's White House office.

The vice president, who continues to receive deferred compensation from when he was Halliburton's chief executive in the late 1990s, has steadfastly maintained he has played no role in the selection of his former company for federal business.

The Army last week referred Greenhouse's allegations to the Defense Department's inspector general. Documents show FBI agents from Quad Cities, Ill., asked Tuesday to interview Greenhouse. Her lawyers declined to discuss the contacts.

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 oil restoration work was given to KBR without competitive bidding through 10 separate work assignments called "task orders." The orders were issued under an existing contract between Halliburton and the U.S. military that was awarded competitively in December 2001.

While the Corps was authorized to spend up to $7 billion for the oil restoration work, the actual cost so far has been $2.5 billion. Halliburton is still working on the oil facilities, but it is now operating under a new, competitively awarded contract.

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 10-28-2004, 05:43 PM

BushCo screws the troops by allowing insurgents and terrorists to get their hands on explosives to use against them, and, meanwhile, Halliburton screws the troops by overcharging them for services the Army could provide for less $$$.

Bush/Cheney = Crooks.

Bronco_Beerslug · 10-28-2004, 06:22 PM

Close to falling apart now for Bush/Cheney. If it is proved that these explosives were there when we went through Bush has to be held directly responsible.
With the FBI investigating Cheney's money cow now it brings more light on why Bush and Cheney attacked Iraq.

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 10-28-2004, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bronco_Beerslug

Close to falling apart now for Bush/Cheney. If it is proved that these explosives were there when we went through Bush has to be held directly responsible.
With the FBI investigating Cheney's money cow now it brings more light on why Bush and Cheney attacked Iraq.

That ABC affiliate in Minneapolis has the explosives on videtope in April '03.

The Bush/Halliburton Cartel's goose is cooked.

What's the over/under on Banana Republic Jeb and Rove calling off the brown shirts at the polls in Jim Crow Land so Junior can just lose convincingly and pardon everyone like daddy did?

TailgateNut · 10-29-2004, 07:03 AM

News Blip: D.C. Water and Sanitation crews are investigating unknown stench comig from the area around the White House!!!!

Mile High Shack · 10-29-2004, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bronco_Beerslug

Close to falling apart now for Bush/Cheney. If it is proved that these explosives were there when we went through Bush has to be held directly responsible.
With the FBI investigating Cheney's money cow now it brings more light on why Bush and Cheney attacked Iraq.

I thought it was for oil?

orangeatheist · 10-29-2004, 08:57 AM

Does anyone else remember the Dems suspicious that the "October Surprise" would be Bush revealing the capture of Osama?

NaptownChief · 10-29-2004, 09:07 AM

Speaking of "The october Surprises just keep comming" where is TaaaRazza's Bin Laden "capture"?

NaptownChief · 10-29-2004, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangeatheist

Does anyone else remember the Dems suspicious that the "October Surprise" would be Bush revealing the capture of Osama?

Sorry to duplicate your thought...Threw my post up without reading the thread....but we are on the same page.

Bronco_Beerslug · 10-29-2004, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mile High Shack

I thought it was for oil?

Oil? I've always said it's a personal thing with Bush and Cheney gets his rich buddies in there to make billions.

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 10-29-2004, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangeatheist

Does anyone else remember the Dems suspicious that the "October Surprise" would be Bush revealing the capture of Osama?

Today BushCo revealed a "new" video of Osama bin Forgotten.

At least I was close!

Spider · 10-29-2004, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

Today BushCo revealed a "new" video of Osama bin Forgotten.

At least I was close!

. thats one way to look at it .........

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 10-31-2004, 01:58 AM

Whistleblower Says Halliburton Contract Abuse Blatant

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...istleblower_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official on Friday called the government's grant of multi-billion dollar contracts to oil services giant Halliburton the worst case of contracting abuse she has ever seen.

"It was misconduct, and part of that misconduct was blatant," said Bunny Greenhouse, in an interview on NBC's Nightly News program.

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 10-31-2004, 11:11 PM

Even Many Leading Republicans From Past Administrations Fear Bush's Extremism and Incompetence Will Permanently Damage the United States of America 11/1

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in652488.shtml

10-28-2004, 05:30 PM	#1
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	FBI investigating Haliburton , The october Surprises just keep comming http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...iburton28.html FBI investigating how Halliburton got contracts By John Solomon The Associated Press E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles 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 today their client will cooperate but that she wants whistleblower 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 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. "Our role is to cooperate. It's a public contract and public funds. We've been providing them information for quite a while." Wendy Hall, a Halliburton spokeswoman, said the company is cooperating with various investigations, but she dismissed the latest revelation as election politics. She noted Congress' auditing arm, the Government Accountability Office, found the company's no-bid work in Iraq was legal. "The old allegations have once again been recycled, this time one week before the election," Hall said. "The GAO said earlier this year that the contract was properly awarded because Halliburton was the only contractor that could do the work. "We look forward to the end of the election, because no matter who is elected president, Halliburton is proud to serve the troops just as we have for the past 60 years for both Democrat and Republican administrations," she said. Cheney spokesman Kevin Kellems, asked if investigators had contacted the vice president or his office about the contracts, said they had not. Democrats have tried hard to make Halliburton an election-year issue Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee who has been investigating Halliburton's contracts, said his office was told the FBI recently sought documents from various government offices. The requests focused on how and why Halliburton got the Iraq contracts. "This multibillion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton was suspicious from day one, and now our worst suspicions are confirmed," Lautenberg said. "The FBI doesn't get involved unless there are possible criminal violations." In a formal whistleblower complaint filed last week, Greenhouse alleged the award of contracts without competition to KBR puts at risk "the integrity of the federal contracting program as it relates to a major defense contractor." The contracts were to restore Iraq's oil industry. Among the evidence cited in the complaint was an internal 2003 Pentagon e-mail that says the Iraq contract "has been coordinated" with Cheney's White House office. The vice president, who continues to receive deferred compensation from when he was Halliburton's chief executive in the late 1990s, has steadfastly maintained he has played no role in the selection of his former company for federal business. The Army last week referred Greenhouse's allegations to the Defense Department's inspector general. Documents show FBI agents from Quad Cities, Ill., asked Tuesday to interview Greenhouse. Her lawyers declined to discuss the contacts. 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 oil restoration work was given to KBR without competitive bidding through 10 separate work assignments called "task orders." The orders were issued under an existing contract between Halliburton and the U.S. military that was awarded competitively in December 2001. While the Corps was authorized to spend up to $7 billion for the oil restoration work, the actual cost so far has been $2.5 billion. Halliburton is still working on the oil facilities, but it is now operating under a new, competitively awarded contract.

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10-28-2004, 05:43 PM	#2
L.A. BRONCOS FAN Mo' holla fo' yo' dolla! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: In a bunker in an undisclosed location Posts: 52,694	BushCo screws the troops by allowing insurgents and terrorists to get their hands on explosives to use against them, and, meanwhile, Halliburton screws the troops by overcharging them for services the Army could provide for less $$$. Bush/Cheney = Crooks.

10-28-2004, 06:22 PM	#3
Bronco_Beerslug Angling in the Deep Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Texas Riviera, Southern Mountains Posts: 24,281	Close to falling apart now for Bush/Cheney. If it is proved that these explosives were there when we went through Bush has to be held directly responsible. With the FBI investigating Cheney's money cow now it brings more light on why Bush and Cheney attacked Iraq.

10-29-2004, 07:03 AM	#5
TailgateNut Bleedin' orange! .......as much as tebonites Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mile High Posts: 20,018 Adopt-a-Bronco: Howard Griffith	News Blip: D.C. Water and Sanitation crews are investigating unknown stench comig from the area around the White House!!!!

10-29-2004, 08:57 AM	#7
orangeatheist Champion of the Godless Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 3,012	Does anyone else remember the Dems suspicious that the "October Surprise" would be Bush revealing the capture of Osama?

10-29-2004, 09:07 AM	#8
NaptownChief Donkeys Nightmare Football Pimp Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 7,490	Speaking of "The october Surprises just keep comming" where is TaaaRazza's Bin Laden "capture"?

10-31-2004, 01:58 AM	#13
L.A. BRONCOS FAN Mo' holla fo' yo' dolla! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: In a bunker in an undisclosed location Posts: 52,694	Whistleblower Says Halliburton Contract Abuse Blatant http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...istleblower_dc WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official on Friday called the government's grant of multi-billion dollar contracts to oil services giant Halliburton the worst case of contracting abuse she has ever seen. "It was misconduct, and part of that misconduct was blatant," said Bunny Greenhouse, in an interview on NBC's Nightly News program.

10-31-2004, 11:11 PM	#14
L.A. BRONCOS FAN Mo' holla fo' yo' dolla! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: In a bunker in an undisclosed location Posts: 52,694	Even Many Leading Republicans From Past Administrations Fear Bush's Extremism and Incompetence Will Permanently Damage the United States of America 11/1 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in652488.shtml