U.S. still paying millions to group that provided false Iraqi intelligence

[huckleberry]

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The Department of Defense is continuing to pay millions of dollars for information from the former Iraqi opposition group that produced some of the exaggerated and fabricated intelligence President Bush used to argue his case for war.

snip

The decision not to shut off funding for the INC's information gathering effort could become another liability for Bush as the presidential campaign heats up and, furthermore suggests that some within the administration are intent on securing a key role for Chalabi in Iraq's political future.

snip

The INC's Information Collection Program started in 2001 and was "designed to collect, analyze and disseminate information" from inside Iraq, according to a letter the group sent in June 2002 to the staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

snip

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Knight Ridder, said the information went directly to "U.S. government recipients" who included William Luti, a senior official in Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld's office, and John Hannah, a top national security aide to Cheney.

The letter appeared to contradict denials made last year by top Pentagon officials that they were receiving intelligence on Iraq that bypassed established channels and vetting procedures.

more at
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/politics/8010308.htm

[MasonJar]

1. Why did anyone think Chalbi knew anything about Iraq? He had

been out of the country for years.

[saigon68]

3. Chalabi our "hand picked Puppet"

He will be President Chalabi soon. As in "President Karzai". (a/k/a the mayor of Kabul)

[berry]

2. This is an important article! Thanks.

I wonder if *Co thinks that Chalabi "falling on his sword" will make it all right. There's no excuse for gullibility about the information provided by exiles (witness the Cubans in JFK's time). Clearly, the neocons wanted just this info and just this spin--

But it's encouraging that "top admin official"s and others are leaking stuff like this. It's growing toward critical mass, as more and more people are letting these details out.