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| NEWS New document indicates Cheney may have lied about Halliburton contract deal
June 7, 2004
WASHINGTON, June 7 (HalliburtonWatch.org) - After the U.S. military awarded Halliburton a multibillion dollar contract to repair Iraq's oil infrastructure, Vice President Cheney denied any involvement in securing the contract for the company. The vice president told NBC's Meet the Press "I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form of contracts led by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or anybody else in the Federal Government." But an internal Pentagon email contradicts Cheney's denial. The email, obtained by Time Magazine, says "action" on the Iraqi oil contract was "coordinated" with Cheney's office. The e-mail says Douglas Feith, the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, got the "authority to execute RIO," or Restore Iraqi Oil, from his boss, who is Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. RIO is one of the largest contracts the military awarded to Halliburton in 2003. It was awarded to Halliburton even though the Pentagon refused to search for the lowest cost contractor. The email says Feith approved the contract for Halliburton "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 awarded the contract to Halliburton without seeking other bids from the company's competitors. The e-mail was found among documents provided by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group. |