You Won’t Hear About in U.S. Media Because Bush Has Imposed a Gag Order, According to the BBC
In October, we wrote about the $12 billion in cash — shrink-wrapped bricks of $100 bills — that the Bush Administration flew into Iraq on cargo pallets and then lost:
“It may well turn out to be the largest war profiteering in history.”
– Chairman Henry Waxman
In the year after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 nearly 281 million notes, weighing 363 tons, were sent from New York to Baghdad for disbursement to Iraqi ministries and US contractors. Using C-130 planes, the deliveries took place once or twice a month with the biggest of $2,401,600,000 on June 22, 2004, six days before the handover.
Now an investigation by the BBC has determined that as much as $23 billion may have been “lost, stolen or just not properly accounted for in Iraq”:
The BBC’s Panorama programme has used US and Iraqi government sources to research how much some private contractors have profited from the conflict and rebuilding.
The British television news service also says that the Bush administration has issued a “gagging order” on the subject, so that news about what be the most massive fraud in history will go unreported until he leaves office — or, theoretically after the presidency of his successor, if John McCain wins in November:
A US gagging order is preventing discussion of the allegations.
The order applies to 70 court cases against some of the top US companies.
While Presdient George W Bush remains in the White House, it is unlikely the gagging orders will be lifted.
To date, no major US contractor faces trial for fraud or mismanagement in Iraq.
The president’s Democratic opponents are keeping up the pressure over war profiteering in Iraq.
Henry Waxman, who chairs the House committee on oversight and government reform, said: “The money that’s gone into waste, fraud and abuse under these contracts is just so outrageous, it’s egregious.
“It may well turn out to be the largest war profiteering in history.”
In the run-up to the invasion, one of the most senior officials in charge of procurement in the Pentagon objected to a contract potentially worth $7bn that was given to Halliburton, a Texan company which used to be run by Dick Cheney before he became vice-president.
Unusually only Halliburton got to bid - and won.
I must confess ignorance of exactly how and why a gag order works, but this is preposterous!
There’s also a gag order on Sibel Edmonds, the 911 FBI translator, who has financially linked terrorists with politicians high up in the U.S. gov’t.
Are we to believe that the U.S. government/government “officials” can do whatever they please, then simply issue a gag order on their illegal activites thereby forbidding anyone from speaking up under the threat of immediate imprisonment? Again, I’m afraid I don’t understand… What system of law is this? Certainly not the (traditional) U.S. justice system, is it?
This prompts the question; are we indeed living in a police state???
[…] Military Loses $23 Billion Dollars […]
I am no longer surprised by anything the Bush administration does any more. Since 9-11, he has turned this country into a dictatorship with he reserving absolute power to himself. He had taken this country with a budget surplus to one with a budget deficit my great0grandkids will be paying off. Just think how many people in the United States could be fed with that much money. I’m all for “Americans first”.
Let’s not forget the CIA torture planes going down with “pure” tons of drugs on board.
The administration is nothing but a corrupt bunch of baby killing, war criminal gangsters.
GI’s guarding the poppy fields in Afghanistan. Your tax dollars at work!
Wake up!