Curt Weldon

Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey's Solutions for Defense Solutions

Matt Berman | December 3, 2008, 4:49PM

Looks like our old friends at Defense Solutions are back in the news.

You remember them. They're the Pennsylvania-based defense company that retained former GOP congressman Curt Weldon -- who's currently under investigation for corruption in regard to his ties to his daughter's lobbying firm -- as a strategic advisor.

Weldon recently pushed deals on behalf of Defense Solutions between Russian and Ukrainian weapons suppliers and the Iraqi and Libyan governments. Brokering such deals is legally murky, according to Wired magazine, because Libya and the Russian arms export agency are on U.S. blacklists.

And Defense Solutions' CEO, Tim Ringgold was accused by a Ukrainian government official of forging his name on a signed letter officiating that deal.

So we were interested to see the company make a special appearance this weekend in the long New York Times story on Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey's myriad conflicts of interest.

McCaffrey, the Times reports, was hired by Defense Solutions on June 15, 2007 to advocate for a similar arms deal. But he didn't mention that affiliation, says the Times, when he wrote a letter to General David Petraeus "strongly recommending Defense Solutions and its offer to supply Iraq with 5,000 armored vehicles from Eastern Europe. 'No other proposal is quicker, less costly, or more certain to succeed,' he said."

The paper continues:

Nor did he disclose it when he went on CNBC that same week and praised the commander Defense Solutions was now counting on for help -- "He's got the heart of a lion" -- or when he told Congress the next month that it should immediately supply Iraq with large numbers of armored vehicles and other equipment.

McCaffrey has had no luck so far getting the deal through for Defense Solutions, but they haven't given up hope yet - the Times reports that he is currently back advocating in Iraq on a trip sponsored by the Pentagon.

The Daily Muck

The Daily Muck

Matt Berman | December 1, 2008, 10:03AM

Former President Bill Clinton will disclose the names of over 200,000 donors to the William J. Clinton Foundation, which supports efforts to combat poverty, disease, and global warming, according to Democratic sources. Clinton has agreed to publicly reveal the names so that his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, will be able to serve as Secretary of State. President-Elect Barack Obama insisted on this disclosure to avoid charges of conflict of interest due to foreign donations to the foundation. (New York Times)

Despite Barack Obama's vows to avoid ties between his White House and the lobbying industry, Tom Daschle, his expected pick for Health and Human Services secretary, serves as a policy adviser for the lobbying firm, Alston & Bird, which represents interests in the health industry. Daschle has advised clients for the firm on health care issues, as the New York Times has also reported. The Obama team said Daschle's prior work would not present a conflict of interest. (Politico)

Christine Beatty, who had been accused of having an affair with Detroit's ex-mayor, pleaded guilty Monday to obstruction of justice during the investigation of their sex scandal. Beatty, who had served as chief of staff to Kwame Kilpatrick, now in jail, made a deal with prosecutors and will receive four months in prison. (AP)

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