Pentagon Ousts Official Under FBI Investigation -LAT

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON — A senior Defense official placed under investigation by the FBI on allegations that he tried to steer Iraqi reconstruction contracts toward friends has been removed from office, Pentagon officials confirmed Friday.

John A. "Jack" Shaw, the Pentagon's deputy undersecretary for international technology security, was ordered to leave after refusing to sign a letter of resignation, the officials said. His last day was Friday.
......
Shaw allegedly tried to steer two contracts, one involving telecommunications and a second involving dredging at an Iraqi port, to companies linked to longtime friends or clients of longtime friends.

After the allegations against him surfaced last spring, Shaw responded with a report of his own, charging that one of the U.S. officials accusing him had taken bribes in a conspiracy to place Iraq's cellular phone network under the control of a former Saddam Hussein ally.

Shaw did not respond to requests for comment on his ouster. However, in e-mails and letters exchanged with Pentagon officials over his departure, Shaw portrayed himself as a whistle-blower who was being unfairly asked to resign for having highlighted problems with the cellular phone licensing process.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Shaw expanded on the accusations made in his previous report, charging that Defense Undersecretary Douglas J. Feith, his former law partner L. Marc Zell and Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress party, were also involved in the conspiracy.........

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fired11dec11,1,1293707.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

[berni_mccoy]

1. The administrations seems to be imploding with corruption. eom

[KoKo]

2. Why do I think this is a HUGE story? But, why did they force him to

resign when they know this guy probably DOES have info that others have and he can blow the lid of this Adminstration? What Shaw is saying seems to confirm information we here on DU knew.

Or, am I reading this wrong? :shrug: One would think they would have done everything to keep Shaw happy...not out there with this info where he can be questioned or even sue them..?

[Dover]

4. It might be huge, but it sounds like the FBI has been brought in to

destroy his credibility. And who knows...maybe he'll be one of those unexplained "suicides"...like the fellow in Britain (can't remember his name).

[Finder]

9. David Kelly

Wonder if Judith Miller will get an email from him too?


Connecting dots.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. Geez... I hope he didn't award any nobids to anyone.... n/t

[EFerrari]

5. This guy is gunning for DOUGLAS FEITH!

Feith is the bagman for Wolfowitz. He was the one heading up the Pentagon's intel office on Iraq, their top fiction writer. This is huge.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. You got it, sfexpat -- this story is about Feith....

It will be interesting to follow it.

[EFerrari]

13. Feith is filthy

and I hope that Mr. Shaw has the testicular fortitude to push on this.

Now descending into the bowels of MendacityCentral. Hold your nose but keep it up!

[Pithy Cherub]

6. Rumsfeld's circular firing squad

is showing its accuracy in aiming! The Pentagon is too far gone to respond to "teambuilding". This is going to grow because the next place to play is with the press and with Rummy's profound backfire in the face this week, it will make for great reading.

[lanlady]

7. and what's become of all the other investigations?

Larry Franklin, the alleged spy for Israel, to name just one. Why do the real culprits suffer no consequences?

[troubleinwinter]

8. Shaw is the guy...

who said that the "missing" 380 tons of explosives in Iraq had been taken away by "Russian commandos".

Makes me wonder if this misinformation was fed to him, in order to discredit him?

[bahrbearian]

10. Cheney got Pissed , someone cutting into his turf .

[salin]

12. references to Fieth, Chalabi and "Iran Contra II"

from the article:

After the allegations against him surfaced last spring, Shaw responded with a report of his own, charging that one of the U.S. officials accusing him had taken bribes in a conspiracy to place Iraq's cellular phone network under the control of a former Saddam Hussein ally.

Shaw did not respond to requests for comment on his ouster. However, in e-mails and letters exchanged with Pentagon officials over his departure, Shaw portrayed himself as a whistle-blower who was being unfairly asked to resign for having highlighted problems with the cellular phone licensing process.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Shaw expanded on the accusations made in his previous report, charging that Defense Undersecretary Douglas J. Feith, his former law partner L. Marc Zell and Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress party, were also involved in the conspiracy.

He also charged that Lawrence DiRita, the Pentagon's top spokesman, was organizing a "smear campaign" against him, according to an e-mail obtained by The Times. He threatened DiRita that, if forced to step down, he would unleash "Iran Contra II," a reference to the scandal that roiled the Reagan administration.

Quite an interesting lunge... would one be so crazy to charge these things with no info?