Old News: Saddam Regime Paid for Democrats Pre-War Trip To Iraq
March 26th, 2008 at 07:40pm Matt Margolis
Those darn Democrats, taking trips paid for by dictators… but, really, this is old news..
Saddam Hussein’s intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
An indictment unsealed in Detroit accuses Muthanna Al-Hanooti, a member of a Michigan nonprofit group, of arranging for three members of Congress to travel to Iraq in October 2002 at the behest of Saddam’s regime. Prosecutors say Iraqi intelligence officials paid for the trip through an intermediary.
At the time, the Bush administration was trying to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Iraq.
The lawmakers are not named in the indictment but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. There was no indication the three lawmakers knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.“Obviously we didn’t know it at the time,” McDermott spokesman Michael DeCesare said Wednesday. “The trip was to see the plight of the Iraqi children. That’s the only reason we went.”
Why is this “old news?” Well, the aforementioned Democrats had previously been reported to have been on a pre-war trip to Iraq that reportedly funded by Detroit-area businessman Shakir Al-Khafaji, an Iraqi-American, who also had ties to Saddam’s regime and accompanied them on the trip. Al-Khafaji received loads of cash from the U.N. Oil for Food scandal. Apparently, Al-Khafaji is the “third-party” mentioned in the indictment.
And guess what? Mark and I discussed this trip in our book, Caucus of Corruption.
Entry Filed under: Corruption, Democrats
20 Comments
1. Freedom1 | March 26th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Demoncrat traitors!
2. Michael | March 26th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
I don’t see anything in the article that says any charges were brought against those dem congress critters. Surely they had to have broken some law in accepting money from Iraqi agents for the trip. IANAL, but that can’t be legal. Maybe they will offer a plea bargain or immunity to the Iraqi agent so he can roll over on the dems. I’d really like to see Baghdad Jim do a stretch makin’ little ones out of big ones.
3. TiredofLibBullSh** | March 26th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
“The trip was to see the plight of the Iraqi children. That’s the only reason we went.”
Funny, they never came back and ranted about the living conditions of Iraqi children, just ranted against the possible invasion (possible at the time). They did not rant against the horrible conditions these children were put under by Saddam, who built numerous palaces, while he starved his people, by stealing the money from the corrupt “oil for food program”.
But we all know that they were better off under Saddam, because that is what the liberal useless idiots keep telling us.
No congress critter will even be indicted because they will continue to claim ignorance.
But, accepting FREE trips does seem rather unethical….that too will amount to nothing.
4. Michael | March 26th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
First paragraph of the Logan Act
“Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.”
So there is a law. These people broadcast from Baghdad their anti-war screed calling the US President a liar and saying we can believe Saddam Hussein. (is it ok to say Hussein in this context?)
BTW:Muthanna Al-Hanooti is related to the imam Al-Hanooti in Virginia, who was an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
5. js | March 26th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
so whens scott ritter gonna get his due?
6. Christian Wright | March 26th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
What’s that compared to illegally invading a country, murdering and torturing its citizens.
Bush & Co need to go to The Hague.
7. Mark Noonan | March 27th, 2008 at 1:22 am
The foolishness of liberalism is on display here - I mean, who on earth did these Democrats think was paying for it? Did they really think that they could visit a totalitarian dicatatorship without the ok of the dictator?
These Democrats are either idiots, or knew full well they were on Saddam’s dime - and just didn’t care, because it was a chance to bash Bush, bash the United States and curry favor with an enemy, all too often key goals of liberal Democrats.
8. TiredofLibBullSh** | March 27th, 2008 at 6:19 am
C wrong….
those talking points are three years old and have been debunked several times. Just read all the UN resolutions (18 of them) concerning Iraq & Hussein starting with the original cease fire agreement of the first gulf war.
As far as “murdering and torturing its citizens” you would need to discuss that with Saddam himself….
oh wait……because according to you, useful idiots, the Iraqis were better off under Saddam who consistently murdered, tortured & raped many citizens for absolutely no reason, other than for pleasure.
Now, go away, your stupid BS is getting tiresome.
9. js | March 27th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Endorsing Saddam is like sending in the US Army to kill every man, woman and child in Boston because they didnt like Bush.
That makes a lot of sense….no wonder they call you “useful idiots”.
10. Christian Wright | March 27th, 2008 at 7:28 am
C Wright:
Polls have shown that the vast majority of Iraqis prefer the reign of Saddam over the occupation of Bush.
The Iraqis even have a saying that compares the two. Roughly translated to English: “Better a cold than death.”
11. js | March 27th, 2008 at 7:29 am
A lot of folks are guilty of treason when it comes to Saddams regime.
The definition of treason encompasses giving aid and comfort to the enemy. While they all may not be considered high treason, there are many cases of petit treason that are not prosecuted because it would be “politically correct” in our day.
12. westmich | March 27th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Interesting you say that. Frontline just concluded a 5 hour documentary the other night going into the run up and initial months of the war. Very eye opening!
The UN did not grant authority to invade Iraq. Congress did not declare war on Iraq. Congress gave limited authorization, but it was based on misleading evidence - primarily links to Al Qaeda and WMDs. We should not have gone in there, pure and simple. Funding aside, they were trying to prevent a war from happening. If we could step in the way back machine today I’m sure you’d see a lot more members of Congress over there including many Republicans.
Now that we are in there should we high tail it out of there, no. As Collin Powell and Condi patiently tried to explain to the president, you break it you buy it. Leaving Iraq now would be a disaster for them, but that is another topic.
13. David B. Schmidt | March 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Westmich, among others here,
You might want to learn something on your own rather than be provided a slanted view by a “documentary” from Frontline.
Start with the original resolution of cease-fire which over half of the provisions (and I am being generous here) were violated by the Hussein government. The crease-fire (a cessation of hostilities; truce.) is based on the losing government fulfilling *ALL* provisions in the crease-fire without question. No more than the violation of on section of that resolution is required to resume hostilities—so the rest of your tale of woe and a jump into the way-back machine is built around false premises.
RESOLUTION 687 (1991) adopted by the Security Council at its 2981st meeting on 3 April 1991
http://www.fas.org/news/un/iraq/sres/sres0687.htm
14. Almiranta | March 27th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Poor pathetic CW, still regurgitating the tired old, oft-debunked, crapola fed to him by his minders—and apparently feeling pretty proud of himself for doing so!
C-Dub, here’s a hint: The borders are open going out, too. You owe it to yourself to find a place to spend the rest of your life—-and it’s probably a pretty long “rest” as you sound about 12—-where you will not be consuemed every minute of every day by loathing for the country where you live.
But if you are not willing to do that, at least stop coming here and spouting nonsense which we KNOW to be nonsense. Stick with your own kind—though I have a feeling even they don’t have much use for you.
But the thread is not just a chance for you to unload another load…..it is about US elected officials going to Iraq, on a trip paid for by the dictator of Iraq, and then parroting the rhetoric of that dictator and spreading lies about their own country.
Guess that wouldn’t matter to a true mouthbreathing Lefty, but it does to normal, rational, people.
15. William Teach | March 27th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Interesting that Baghdad Bob and The Pussycats never mentioned the reported 50K children a year who were dying under Saddam’s rule, as reported in a scientific study done by a Jordanian doctor, which, unlike the Lancet studies, was not a statistical one, but based on actual mortality reports.
Let the Treason Lobby now deflect.
16. JUDGE NAUGHT | March 27th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I know this will be deleted as “off topic”, but I am still amazed that the largest supporters of the President and this war are de facto U.N. supporters, as we are enforcing U.N. resolutions!
In fact, Operation Impose Law is set to be renewed by the U.N. in september as I recall.
Gotta love the U.N. right?
17. Almiranta | March 27th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
JN, you merely reinforce the idea that even a blind pig finds an acorn, sometimes.
The simplemindedness of the radical Left has the basis of either/or, when in fact life is a little more complicated than that.
…………………
I was wondering—why didn’t Saddam pay for some Republicans to take that trip?
18. Herkimer X. Arbuthnot | March 27th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Because Chuck Hagle wasn’t available?
19. JUDGE NAUGHT | March 27th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I suppose to you I am the “Radical Left”! OMG>>> I should judge myself by my enemies, as well as their record, yours is cumulus. so flail away, while our soldiers are enforcing U.N. resolutions 1667 et al.
True conservatives know this, so why don’t you support the troops, or is the U.N. your master?!
20. Intermediary on The Finan&hellip | April 3rd, 2008 at 6:59 am
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