LA TIMES: Defense Official Pushed Iraq Contract$

[gp]

Defense Official Pushed Iraq Contract$
Tue Jul 06 2004 22:24:46 ET

A senior Defense Department official conducted unauthorized investigations of Iraq reconstruction efforts and used their results to push for lucrative contracts for friends and their business clients, the LA TIMES is planning to splash in fresh editions, newsroom sources tell DRUDGE.

John A. "Jack" Shaw, deputy undersecretary for international technology security, represented himself as an agent of the Pentagon's inspector general in conducting the investigations this year, the paper claims.

In one case, "Shaw disguised himself as an employee of Halliburton Co. and gained access to a port in southern Iraq after he was denied entry by the U.S. military."

In that investigation, Shaw found problems with operations at the port of Umm al Qasr, Pentagon sources said. In another, he criticized a competition sponsored by the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority to award cell phone licenses in Iraq.

In both cases, Shaw urged government officials to fix the alleged problems by directing multimillion-dollar contracts to companies linked to his friends, without competitive bidding, according to Pentagon sources and documents.

Developing...

http://www.drudgereport.com/flash2.htm

[BeyondGeography]

1. This is Sludge, not the LAT

Your header suggests a link to the LAT.

Anyway, sounds promising. Like that intern story...

[fizzana]

2. I recall Shaw's name being mentioned previously regarding the

issueing of the cell phone licenses so it's probably true.

[struggle4progress]

3. New allegations in Iraq mobile network saga (30th April 2004 )

<snip>
In a report in the LA Times (free reg needed) it is alleged that a "senior Defense Department official is under investigation by the Pentagon inspector general for allegations that he attempted to alter a contract proposal in Iraq to benefit a mobile phone consortium that includes friends and colleagues."

The original Issa story simply reported that the Congressman, who represents a constituency full of Qualcomm employees, was anxious to get Qualcomm-owned CDMA technology used in Iraq instead of "French" GSM phone systems.

Now, Issa is being mentioned as a bit-part player in the new saga of this official, who is being investigated.

The official is named: the LA Times says he is John A. Shaw, 64, the deputy undersecretary for international technology security. The allegation is simple: "He sought to transform a relatively minor police and fire communications proposal into a contract allowing the creation of an Iraq-wide commercial cellular network that could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue per year," according to the paper's sources.
<snip>

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/30/iraq_cellphone_allegations/

[AndyTiedye]

5. Darryl "Car Thief" Issa? Say it isn't So!

I'm shocked....

[struggle4progress]

4. LAT link

U.S. Official Seeking Iraq Contracts Carried Out Unauthorized Probes
By T. Christian Miller, Times Staff Writer
7:30 PM PDT, July 6, 2004

WASHINGTON -- A senior Defense Department official conducted unauthorized investigations of Iraq reconstruction efforts and used their results to push for lucrative contracts for friends and their business clients, according to current and former Pentagon officials and documents.

John A. "Jack" Shaw, deputy undersecretary for international technology security, represented himself as an agent of the Pentagon's inspector general in conducting the investigations this year, sources said.
<snip>

In ..(one).. investigation, Shaw found problems with operations at the port of Umm al Qasr, Pentagon sources said. In another, he criticized a competition sponsored by the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority to award cell phone licenses in Iraq.

In both cases, Shaw urged government officials to fix the alleged problems by directing multimillion-dollar contracts to companies linked to his friends, without competitive bidding, according to the Pentagon sources and documents. In the case of the port, the clients of a lobbyist friend won a no-bid contract for dredging.
<more>

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-probe7jul07,1,7772685.story?coll=la-home-headlines


Remark. If one uses a search engine, there's seldom any reason to link to Drudge: it's a filthy site, and we should avoid directing people to it.

[kungfugrip]

6. I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here.

n/t