I find it ironic that a father and son worth nearly $5 billion, a fortune fueled on the profits of owning for more than 25 years, approximately 20 percent of the stock of the then largest defense contractor in the nation, were early and principle supporters of president-elect Obama.
The defense contractor is General Dynamics, and it employed an attorney, William Haynes II of the law firm representing Lester Crown, and his father Henry before him, Chicago's Jenner and Block. Lester's brother John was an associate and then a partner of that firm from 1959 to at least 1969. Albert E. Jenner served as Henry Crown's personal attorney, even as he served as conspiracy investigating assistant counsel on the Warren Commission.
So now it starts to get complicated. Is William Haynes protected from a follow up to this report from the incoming DOJ of the new Obama administration?
http://www.sfgate.com/...
Report rips ex-Defense counsel, now at Chevron
Andrew S. Ross
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Report rips ex-Defense counsel, now at Chevron
A little over a week ago, the Senate Armed Services Committee released a report, "Inquiry into the Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody." The product of an 18-month investigation, the report concluded that "former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other senior U.S. officials share much of the blame for detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
One of the "senior U.S. officials" prominently featured in the report is William J. Haynes II, currently the chief corporate counsel for San Ramon's Chevron Corp....
...The Journal's editorial and the GOP letter came a day after a New York Times editorial, which said the Senate report provides "a strong case for bringing criminal charges against ... Rumsfeld; his legal counsel, William J. Haynes; and potentially other top officials." The editorial doubted that such a step would be taken, but hoped the incoming Obama administration would "appoint an independent panel to look into these and other egregious violations of the law."
Further reading: To read the executive summary of the Senate Armed Services Committee report (most of the investigation details remain classified), go to links.sfgate.com/ZFTC. To read Haynes' testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, go to links.sfgate.com/ZFTF. For the Wall Street Journal editorial, go to links.sfgate.com/ZFTD. For the New York Times editorial, go to links.sfgate.com/ZFTE
I am guessing that William Haynes has nothing to worry about....
William J. Haynes II. General Counsel Department of Defense ... Mr. Haynes twice was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Jenner & Block ... as staff vice president and associate general counsel of General Dynamics Corporation, ...
www.dod.mil/dodgc/gc/gcbio.html