The DU d'RAT Review: MI Man Accused of Helping Saddam Set Up U.S. Lawmaker Pre-War Visit to Iraq

The DU d'RAT Review

I created this blog as a response to the hypocrisy, nastiness, and negativity at Democratic Underground. The D'RATS do not allow disagreement on their site; they demand their posters tout their party line word-for-word. Any poster who does not march in lockstep is immediately banned. Their cowardice in this, and their calumny towards America's leaders, will not go unanswered as I address the issues of the day--and one of the most negative, detrimental influences in the blogosphere.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

MI Man Accused of Helping Saddam Set Up U.S. Lawmaker Pre-War Visit to Iraq

MI Man Accused of Helping Saddam Set Up U.S. Lawmaker Pre-War Visit to Iraq
FoxNews

Muthanna Al-Hanooti was given an offer that federal prosecutors say he couldn't refuse: Set up a trip for U.S. lawmakers to pre-war Iraq and earn 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil in return. An indictment unsealed Wednesday in Detroit accuses Al-Hanooti, a member of a Michigan nonprofit group, of making those arrangements in 2002 at the behest of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The deal allegedly was financed by Iraqi intelligence officials through an intermediary.
At the time, the Bush administration was trying to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Iraq. The three anti-war Democratic lawmakers apparently targeted by Al-Hanooti used their October 2002 trip to call for a diplomatic solution in Iraq.

The lawmakers in question firmly defended themselves Wednesday, saying they had no idea how the trip was financed, a story that law enforcement officials say checks out. None of the lawmakers in question was charged and Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators "have no information whatsoever" any of them knew the trip was underwritten by Hussein.

The lawmakers are not named in the indictment but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington and Mike Thompson of California, and former Rep. David Bonior, a Democrat from Michigan.

more...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,341995,00.html

Isn't this an EXCELLENT reason for the Logan Act to be rigidly enforced?

4 Comments:

FairWitness said...: Yeah, right!

"... they had no idea how the trip was financed ..."

If these Congressmen are that damn incompetent, they don't need to Congressmen. I hope their constituents take notice of their Saddam-duped asses and throw the bums out of office!

I am so sick of public officials pleading ignorance and yet still want to keep their jobs. In the private sector, if these 3 had been businessmen, law enforcement would have come down on them like a ton of bricks. Ignorance is no excuse in the private sector.

Why should it be in the public sector, ESPECIALLY LAWMAKERS, whose oath includes upholding and defending the Constitution & laws of this country?; 8:23 AM
Anonymous said...: No matter how these lawmakers spin it, this trip was plotted and carried out to make useful idiots out of them, and they played their part perfectly, using their time there to criticize the Bush administration's policy.

Do you think it might dawn on them that Saddam had a reason to plot such an endeavor, that he might just have been up to something?

Yeah right.

Paul; 9:11 AM
FairWitness said...: Paul, can you imagine using ignorance as an excuse for driving the getaway car for the robbers of a bank?

"Sorry officer, I just offered them a ride. I didn't know they'd just robbed the bank."

"Gee, deputy, I didn't know that stop sign was there."

Puh-leeze!; 10:04 AM
Anonymous said...: Indeed Pat, with all of the intelligence, and prewar posturing by Saddam indicating he was up to no good, you'd think that a Congressman would be a little suspicious of taking an all expences paid Sean Penn-like tour of the arena. It doesn't wash too well, though it seems their butts are covered.

Paul; 10:32 AM