Red Handed

Last September, as a guest on Meet The Press, Vice President Cheney was asked if he had any role in Halliburton receiving contracts to help rebuild Iraq. He made a complete denial.

Time Magazine, however, has obtained an internal Pentagon e-mail sent by an Army Corps of Engineers official–whose name was blacked out by the Pentagon–that raises questions about Dick Cheney’s arm’s-length policy toward his old employer. Dated March 5, 2003, the e-mail says “action” on a multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract was “coordinated” with Cheney’s office. The e-mail says Douglas Feith, a high-ranking Pentagon hawk, got the “authority to execute RIO,” or Restore Iraqi Oil, from his boss, who is Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. RIO is one of several large contracts the U.S. awarded to Halliburton last year.

The e-mail says Feith approved arrangements for the contract “contingent on informing WH [White House] tomorrow. We anticipate no issues since action has been coordinated w VP’s [Vice President’s] office.” Three days later, the Army Corps of Engineers gave Halliburton the contract, without seeking other bids. TIME located the e-mail among documents provided by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group.

from: jillian. Her dailykos journal here.
(image: judicial watch)