abuse; pledge hearings in December
10 Nov. 2005
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- -- Although Senate Republicans
killed an amendment that would have established a special investigation into war
profiteering by Halliburton and other companies by a vote of 53 to 44 today, they
have pledged to investigate Halliburton before the end of the year.
The amendment, introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan, D-ND, during Senate
consideration of the 2006 Defense Authorization bill, would have established a
special committee modeled after Senator Harry Truman's World War II committee,
which cost just thousands, but saved taxpayers $15 billion in 1940s' dollars. It was
the third time in two years that the Senate rejected Dorgan's amendment.
After Dorgan introduced his amendment again yesterday, Sen. John Ensign, R-NV,
made a surprise announcement that he would hold formal hearings into
Halliburton's contract abuses in Iraq sometime in December. Ensign chairs a
subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee - known as the Subcommittee on
Readiness and Management Support.
For two years, the Republican-controlled Senate has resisted public calls for a
formal investigation into Halliburton, once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney,
even though it is being investigated for numerous violations, including criminal
bid-rigging, overcharging of taxpayers, bribery and criminally profiting in a nation
believed by President Bush to sponsor terrorism.
Although Republicans maintain that the Special Inspector General for Iraqi
Reconstruction is conducting an investigation, the Senate has failed to provide its
own oversight.
The Army Corps of Engineers' top civilian contracting official, Bunnatine H.
Greenhouse, was demoted in August after blowing the whistle on the Corps and
Halliburton. "I can unequivocally state that the abuse related to contracts awarded
to [Halliburton] represents the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have
witnessed during the course of my professional career," Greenhouse said.
