By JOHN SOLOMON
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI has begun investigating whether the
Pentagon improperly awarded no-bid contracts to Halliburton Co.,
seeking an interview with a top Army contracting officer and
collecting documents from several government offices.
The line of inquiry expands an earlier FBI investigation into
whether Halliburton overcharged taxpayers for fuel in Iraq, and it
elevates to a criminal matter the election-year question of whether
the Bush administration showed favoritism to Vice President Dick
Cheney's former company.
By JOHN SOLOMON
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI has begun investigating whether the
Pentagon improperly awarded no-bid contracts to Halliburton Co.,
seeking an interview with a top Army contracting officer and
collecting documents from several government offices.
The line of inquiry expands an earlier FBI investigation into
whether Halliburton overcharged taxpayers for fuel in Iraq, and it
elevates to a criminal matter the election-year question of whether
the Bush administration showed favoritism to Vice President Dick
Cheney's former company.
FBI agents this week sought permission to interview Bunnatine
Greenhouse, the Army Corps of Engineers' chief contracting officer
who went public last weekend with allegations that her agency
unfairly awarded a Halliburton subsidiary no-bid contracts worth
billions of dollars in Iraq, according to documents obtained by The
Associated Press.
Asked about the documents, Greenhouse's lawyers said Thursday
their client will cooperate but that she wants whistleblower
protection from Pentagon retaliation.
"I think it (the FBI interview request) underscores the
seriousness of the misconduct, and it also demonstrates how
courageous Ms. Greenhouse was for stepping forward," said Stephen
Kohn, one of her attorneys.
"The initiation of an FBI investigation into criminal
misconduct will help restore public confidence," Kohn said. "The
Army must aggressively protect Ms. Greenhouse from the retaliation
she will encounter as a result of blowing the whistle on this
misconduct."
FBI agents also began collecting documents from Army offices in
Texas and elsewhere in recent weeks to examine how and why
Halliburton got the no-bid work in places like Iraq.
"The Corps is absolutely cooperating with the FBI, and it has
been an ongoing effort," said Army Corps spokeswoman Carol
Sanders. "Our role is to cooperate. It's a public contract and
public funds. We've been providing them information for quite a
while."
Wendy Hall, a Halliburton spokeswoman, said the company is
cooperating with various investigations, but she dismissed the
latest revelation as election politics. She noted Congress'
auditing arm, the Government Accountability Office, found the
company's no-bid work in Iraq was legal.
"The old allegations have once again been recycled, this time
one week before the election," Hall said. "The GAO said earlier
this year that the contract was properly awarded because
Halliburton was the only contractor that could do the work.
"We look forward to the end of the election, because no matter
who is elected president, Halliburton is proud to serve the troops
just as we have for the past 60 years for both Democrat and
Republican administrations," she said.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)