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The Daily Muck
Everyone likes wiretaps! And by everyone, we of course mean the vice president, who disagreed with objections to the warantless surveillance program in a 2004 White House meeting. The meeting took place only one day before Gonzales made a midnight hospital run to convince John Ashcroft to approve the program, according to new written testimony by James Comey. (Washington Post)
The Justice Department has launched an investigation into the hiring practices of the firm building the U.S. embassy in Iraq, amid allegations of human trafficking and slave labor. (Wall Street Journal)
Six human rights groups have called for the release of 39 detainees who they maintain are being held in secret at Guantanamo Bay. At the same time, the administration is pushing ahead with military tribunals of Guantanamo detainees, arguing that prosecuting high-level suspects would be nearly impossible to accomplish in a standard criminal justice system. (NY Times, LA Times)
Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute is headed to the Senate today for confirmation of his fourth star. Expect questions to be asked about his early skepticism towards Bush’s Baghdad surge. (Associate Press)
A high ranking member of the Federalist Society’s California chapter recommended a replacement for then U.S. attorney Carol Lam in March of 2005, long before anyone outside of a handful of officials knew about a plan to replace U.S. Attorneys. (McClatchy Newspapers)
Although the Justice Department clearly focused on allegations of voter fraud, critics maintain it has been negligent in enforcing voter registration laws. (McClatchy Newspapers)
Scooter Libby’s sentencing is becoming an albatross for Republicans, who are pressured to pick sides on whether Libby should be pardoned. The decision is lose-lose as GOPers have to choose between party loyalty and respect for law. (LA Times)
Heads of the House Ethics Committee clashed (sub. req.) for the first time publicly as a result of the recent indictment of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA). (Roll Call)
Lawmakers are calling for an independent test of the efficacy of current military body armor after an NBC report disputed claims that the government’s armor is superior to alternative brands. (Associated Press)
House Republicans want to know how ABC News gained access to sensitive information about President Bush’s authorization of non-lethal, covert CIA action in Iran. (ABC’s The Blotter)
The U.S. Attorney of Pittsburgh Mary Buchanan was set to meet privately with congressional investigators today, but the meeting was moved back to June 15th. (Associated Press)
Passport has the latest twist on the increasingly bizarre case of former journalist Daniel Pearl. It seems two men recently accused of the murder by the Pakistani government have in fact been held by Pakistan’s security agencies since before the kidnapping. (Foreign Policy)
Comments (14)
ed pefferman wrote on June 7, 2007 10:23 AM:Scooter Libby should be shot as a traitor, rather
ed pefferman wrote on June 7, 2007 10:25 AM:than jailed as a liar. His boss, ElDuce should be shot along with him, or hung form a lamp post.
Scooter Libby should be shot as a traitor, rather
J.Goodwin wrote on June 7, 2007 10:57 AM:than jailed as a liar. His boss, ElDuce should be shot along with him, or hung form a lamp post.
If by "prosecute" they mean "convict" then they're right.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on June 7, 2007 12:10 PM:Update: Curt Weldon, Defense Solutions LLC Chief Strategic Officer, in Bangladesh:
Yesterday, Defense Solutions issued a press release announcing that it had been hired by the the chairman of the Bashundhara Group, a major Bangladesh corporation, to investigate corruption within the company:
"Recognizing the goodwill generated by the visit and the delegation's recommendations to President Bush, Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan asked the American company to develop and implement a corporate-wide anti-corruption program..."
However, on 5/31/07, the Daily Star, Bangladesh's largest newspaper, reported that Chairman Akbar Sobhan was accused of bribing a politician to quash a murder investigation in which his son was the prime suspect. The muder victim was a director on the Bashundhara board.
The Daily Star also reported that Sobhan had fled to London after being accused of corruption charges in connection with Bashundhara's operations. Something about cheating poor people on land deals.
As part of the deal, the Bashundhara Group has agreed to fund a new lobbying group, United States-Bangladesh Advisory Council. Presumably, Curt Weldon and Defense Solutions will be managing the Council's operations.
Curt Weldon has been under federal investigation for corruption for more than a year for taking bribes from foreigners.
Defense Solutions has no experience whatsoever investigating corruption. Its main business is lobbying the DoD on behalf of contractors and it is an international arms dealers.
Weldon's got balls, I'll say that for him.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on June 7, 2007 12:38 PM:Re Dragon Skin vs Interceptor body armor
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hugh Shelton and former Secret Service Director Brian Stafford joined the board of Ceramic Protection Corporation (CPC) last year.
CPC manufactures a lot of the boron ceramic inserts that go into the Interceptor armor at its Newark DE facility. Last year, it purchased a Florida manufacturer of the soft body armor that goes into the Interceptor system.
Around the time that Shelton and Stafford joined the CPC board, CPC got a slew of new body armor contracts from the DoD.
I've been following body armor news and I wonder if magnesium ceramic body armor is going to be the next big thing.
One of the investors in CPC, PA-based financier Heinz Schimmelbusch, has a financial interest in a company that produces and markets mangnesium.
Dynamic Defense Materials DDM, a tiny defense contractor based in Bootwyn PA, has been trying to develop contoured magnesium ceramic body armor. Katherine T. Leighton, DDM officer, has a patent application pending which involves the manufacutre of magnesium ceramic body armor.
Leighton and Schimmelbusch both have ties to a Newark DE company, Lanxide, that went belly up in 1999.
DDM contributed more than $17k to Curt Weldon's last campaign and is now a client of Weldon's firm, Defense Solutions LLC.
I suspect the big shots in the Army have already picked out the next generation of body armor and it isn't Dragon Skin. Lisa Myers of NBC just didn't ask the right questions.
Steve5117 wrote on June 7, 2007 1:30 PM:Mrs. P
June 7, 2007
Ceramic Protection Corporation Announces New Orders and Expansion of Facilities ....
Steve Giordanella, Chief Executive Officer
Dana Husnay, President
Steve5117 wrote on June 7, 2007 1:34 PM:Mr. Giordanella also announced the Corporation's parallel progress in expanding the manufacturing capabilities at Protective Products International
Corporation ("PPI") of Sunrise, Florida with the addition of a new facility.
Mrs. P
June 7, 2007
Ceramic Protection Corporation Announces New Orders and Expansion of Facilities ....
Steve Giordanella, Chief Executive Officer
Dana Husnay, President
Steve5117 wrote on June 7, 2007 1:40 PM:Mr. Giordanella also announced the Corporation's parallel progress in expanding the manufacturing capabilities at Protective Products International
Corporation ("PPI") of Sunrise, Florida with the addition of a new facility.
Mrs. P
June 7, 2007
Ceramic Protection Corporation Announces New Orders and Expansion of Facilities ....
Steve Giordanella, Chief Executive Officer
Dana Husnay, President
Mr. Giordanella also announced the Corporation's parallel progress in expanding the manufacturing capabilities at Protective Products International
Corporation ("PPI") of Sunrise, Florida with the addition of a new facility.
2turk wrote on June 7, 2007 1:51 PM:Is anyody else having trouble posting?
Lots of doubles recently,.. but few triple posts.
2turk wrote on June 7, 2007 1:53 PM:Lots of doubles recently,.. but few triple posts.
Elisabet wrote on June 7, 2007 2:40 PM:The link that is supposed to go to ABC's The Blotter about the leak of info about the covert action in Iran links instead to the body armour story.
Elisabet wrote on June 7, 2007 2:47 PM:The link that is supposed to go to ABC's The Blotter about the leak of info about the covert action in Iran links instead to the body armour story.
Mrs P wrote on June 7, 2007 3:13 PM:Steve, I have a lot of info about Giordanella. I even drove past his two places of business when I visited FLA in January.
I'm having troubel posting so I'm going to cut this comment short. I wrote to TPM last night when I couldn't past at all and Laura replied that it was an internal probem that, I guess, still isn't fixed.
ftybihqce ocxqpyvg wrote on July 5, 2007 6:43 PM:erjpdxovu neqdwyoh hbnywlgit cvpbi bojxud mjokal ymhblk