The Thief of Baghdad, Ahmad Chalabi is coming to Washington this week to be honored by the American Enterprise Institute (Lynne Cheney is a board member). While he's on American soil, it's high time for the FBI to bring his thieving ass in for questioning.
Harry Reid can kill two birds with one stone by demanding the FBI interrogate Chalabi. If the FBI interviews him, the Senate Select Intelligence Committee can get a whole heap of work done on their Phase II report on the misuse of prewar intelligence by going to the very source of that intel. And Mr. Reid's actions will show how far the administration will scramble to cover-up their association with Chalabi.
How can Mr. Chalabi possibly feel safe setting foot on American soil? Just last year, afterall, the FBI was supposedly investigating the Iraq Oil Minister for passing intelligence to Iran. They were also investigating members of the Pentagon for giving Chalabi classified documents.
What happened?
Near as I can tell, absolutely nothing. Sure, Larry Franklin plea bargained his AIPAC case two months ago. But Chalabi? Why, he's poised to become the Iraq Prime Minister.
Weren't we ransacking his compound in Baghdad a year and a half ago for documents? What was found? Classified material, but what kind? Several major publications have stated that Chalabi was given information which allowed him to hold a gun to the heads of high-placed US officials. Perhaps those were the documents our government was REALLY afraid of. Without real questions being asked, all is conjecture.
According to Chalabi's lawyer, John Markham who a year ago said, "We have heard absolutely nothing from anybody. We've offered to make him available, and they've ignored us." Markham went on to say that it was inconsistent with how he saw federal investigaters operate during the several years he spent as a prosecutor.
Let's take him up on his offer. Afterall, all Roads Lead to Chalabi.
We do know this: Ahmad Chalabi used our US Taxpayer money to fund the Iraq National Congress. He's received over 33 million dollars from the State Department which moved to cut him off, but he was rescued by the Pentagon. This money was ILLEGALLY used to push the agenda of the INC to go to war. In other words, it is against the law to use taxpayer money to fund Chalabi's own war-propaganda campaign. HE SHOULD BE IN JAIL.
We know all about his relative, "Curveball" and the nasty intelligence he peddled. We've talked about Chalabi fabricating stories about WMD and making one SCOOTER LIBBY very happy. Hell, Libby was all ears and one of the first in the Bush White House to prop Chalabi up (Patrick Fitzgerald, maybe you'd like to interview Mr. Chalabi while he's partying in DC). And Libby's dear penpal, Judy Miller wrote several stories using Chalabi's "evidence" as the smoking gun which led us to war.
You'd think that the White House would want to stay far away from this guy. But he's joining CONDOLEEZA RICE and "other officials" for a meeting.
I don't get it. What happened to the investigation? Unless the Senate demands it, there won't be one. So Harry, do your thing and yell "BRING HIM IN!" At the very least, it'll be a great show.
You know what I think? I think the White House is meeting with Berlusconi, oops, Chalabi to get their story straight. And if I were Scooter, I'd want to be there, too... Just saying, Fitz.