"In a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, questioned "how this man, who gave us such misleading information before the invasion of Iraq, now under active investigation for endangering American troops, is now the toast of the town at the Department of Treasury and the Department of State."
And the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorialized Tuesday, "The proper way to welcome him would be to slap handcuffs on him."" CNN
An official reception for Ahmad Chalabi? How can that be? The man is still wanted for a fraud conviction in Jordan. He is the subject of an "open" investigation at the FBI for what appears to be suspicion of espionage against the United States, and he is being given an official reception by the US government at the level of Rice and Cheney?
This will be interpreted in the Arab and Islamic Worlds as endorsement of a Chalabi rise to power in the government of Iraq. He wants to be Prime Minister. His neocon pals/dupes are still "pushing him" for that position.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has it right. He should be arrested and held here until the FBI investigation is completed.
Pat Lang
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/09/chalabi.us/index.html
Agree whole heartedly. How many Americans and Iraqis are dead because of Chalabi?
Pat,
I recall hearing a few months back that he had somehow wrangled a pardon from the Jordanian government. Apparently, he then turned down the pardon because they wanted him to return the money he stole in exchange for the pardon. How dare they!
Heres the story:
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050514/2005051419.html
This seems so incredibly arrogant and a in-your-face gesture to any of us following the whole Chalbi debacle that having him feted like this is just beyond disgusting. Really one of those ‘what the hell are they thinking’ questions to even have this guy here much less acting like he’s some sort of good guy…still trying to shove him down our throats apparently.
I know he was supposedly taken off the payroll but I’d bet that Rummy is still paying the bastard-or I should say the taxpayers are.
Could this be intended as a slap at SecDef? It wasn’t Treasury and State that liked him before, was it?
If he’s slick enough he won’t have worn out his welcome in DC until he wears it out with *everybody* independently.
Who has jurisdiction over Chalabi, and could Dems in the House or Senate arrange to have him arrested?
Who has custody of the many tons of records he seized in Baghdad and what is being done with them?
Chalabi,
The best Iranian agent ever!
Who says those Persians don’t know what they’re doing? Just look, the coming Islamic Republic of Iraq and it’s leader – the wolf in sheeps clothing – Ahmed.
I hope we can get more pictures of AC with various GOP types for the coming impeachment and criminal conspiracy trials.
SP