NEWSWEEK: NEY & IRAN-Lobbying-The Web Widens

[kpete]

Lobbying: The Web Widens
NEWSWEEK TOP STORIES
•

Newsweek
Jan. 23, 2006 issue - Ohio Rep. Robert Ney personally lobbied the then Secretary of State Colin Powell to relax U.S. sanctions on Iran. Who asked him to? A convicted airplane broker who had just taken the congressman and a top aide on an expense-paid trip to London, NEWSWEEK has learned. Ney's lawyer confirmed to NEWSWEEK that federal prosecutors have subpoenaed records on Ney's February 2003 trip paid for by Nigel Winfield, a thrice-convicted felon who ran a company in Cyprus called FN Aviation. Winfield was seeking to sell U.S.-made airplane spare parts to the Iranian government—a deal that would have needed special permits because of U.S. sanctions against Tehran. Ney's lawyer, Mark Tuohey, said Ney had no idea of Winfield's criminal past, which included a 1982 conviction for trying to swindle Elvis Presley in an airplane deal and two more in the late 1980s for tax evasion. Tuohey said there was "absolutely nothing improper" about Ney's raising the issue of Iranian sanctions with Powell and other Bush administration officials. At the time, there had been a number of civilian plane crashes in Iran attributable to a lack of spare parts. Ney, who had a longstanding interest in Iran, considered easing sanctions to allow spare-parts sales a "humanitarian" matter, Tuohey said.

The Justice Department subpoenas of Ney's travel records grew out of the Jack Abramoff lobbying case. Ney is identified in Abramoff's recent plea agreement as "Representative #1," who allegedly agreed to intervene on behalf of one of Abramoff's Indian tribal clients after receiving political contributions and an earlier all-expense-paid golfing trip to Scotland arranged by Abramoff. The Iranian airline deal shows how the Abramoff case is already expanding into a broader investigation into D.C. lobbying practices. Ney was introduced to Winfield by lobbyists Roy Coffee, a former legislative aide to the then Gov. George W. Bush, and David DiStefano, who had previously been Ney's chief of staff. Coffee and DiStefano (who did not respond to requests for comment) arranged for Ney and a staff member to fly over to London, where Winfield and his Syrian-born business partner, Fouad Al-Zayat, pitched the congressman on their business plan. Back in Washington, Ney talked to Powell, Tuohey said. But "nothing ever came of it," Tuohey said, because the company's deal fell through. Spokespeople for Powell and the State and Commerce departments (which administer U.S. trade sanctions) had no immediate responses to requests for comment.

—Mark Hosenball, Michael Isikoff and Holly Bailey


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10857676/site/newsweek/

[Coexist]

1. K & R

[PDittie]

2. I am at the point now where I wish that

other nasty fucking Republicans were getting mention, rather than the same cast.

Ney is dead. So is DeLay. Now let's go get the rest of the bastards.

[chat_noir]

3. reported last May

Congressman’s trip raises ethical flags

Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, is nicknamed the "mayor of Capitol Hill." He chairs the powerful House Administration Committee, which controls offices and perks.

In February 2003, Ney took a three-day trip to London. Following House rules, he reported the trip cost $2,707 and was paid for by FN Aviation. Nigel Winfield is the group's director.

SNIP

In a telephone interview, Winfield told NBC News he wanted Ney's help selling planes in the Middle East.

SNIP

Ney's lawyer insists the trip was entirely proper and consistent with House rules. However, he says the congressman can't discuss his activities because of "national security implications."


http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7833922/

[Buns_of_Fire]

5. Get used to it. From now on, "National Security" = "Open Sesame"

The new Magic Phrase, given to the maladministration by 9/11, will be invoked loudly and frequently whenever some investigation starts getting a little too close to some rebubbalican's butt for comfort or some line of questioning might lead to this PResident's "embarrassment."

[phoebe]

4. so does this mean that GW may have known Winfield?

hmmmm.."Roy Coffee, a former legislative aide to the then Gov. George W. Bush".

One would think that legislative aides to governors would be thoroughly vetted and any relationship to the likes of Winfield would be cause for alarm..

[Algorem]

6. Ney speaks fluent Farsi and was a Peace Corps teacher there for 3 yrs.

in the 70's.Been wondering if he was really a spy there.

[starroute]

9. Iran was crawling with CIA c. 1976-79

It was kind of a way-station for them between Vietnam and Iran-Contra -- people like Theodore Shackley and Thomas Clines. After Vietnam fell, they moved the center of their drug-running and arms-dealing to Iran, laundered the proceeds through the Nugan Hand Bank in Australia, and were teaching SAVAK how to do Phoenix Program-style assassinations on the side. That was one of the major reasons for the overthrow of the Shah.

I don't know if Ney had any connection with all that -- but I wonder about it too.

[Algorem]

11. Damn.

[Jane Austin]

7. Wonder who the "top aide" is who went with him.

At first glance I thought it was DiStefano, but rereading it, it says otherwise:

Coffee and DiStefano (who did not respond to requests for comment) arranged for Ney and a staff member to fly over to London . . . .

Could be a male or a female, I guess.

[starroute]

8. There's a lot more to the story than what's in Newsweek

I caught wind of it the other day and did a little googling:

http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/12/09/20051209-A8-00.html

Ney said on a travel disclosure form that the Feb. 20-23, 2003, trip to London was for "meetings regarding trade and international business matters."

Ney spokesman Brian Walsh told The Dispatch this year that Ney, who once taught English in Iran, is "very active in Middle East issues and certain countries in that region. (The trip) does have national security dimensions, and as much as (Ney) would like to, he will not say any more beyond that." . . .

Ney had dinner during the trip at a posh London casino with FN Aviation Director Nigel Winfield, a convicted felon whose offenses have included tax evasion, and Fouad al-Zayat, a Syrian-born businessman known as a high-stakes casino gambler. Walsh has said Ney did not know about Winfield’s background.

Ney returned to the same casino on a personal trip later in 2003 and reported on his financial disclosure form that he won $34,000. Walsh has said Ney parlayed a $100 bet into the large winning on two hands of a three-card game of chance. Questions arose over the FN Aviation trip when NBC News in May reported Winfield’s background and disclosed Zayat’s involvement with the company.

http://www.citizen.org/documents/Ney_Rap_Sheet.pdf

In 2002, Ney had reported at least $30,000 in credit card debt. In 2003, the debt had disappeared. Ney’s lawyer maintains that he won that money gambling on a separate trip to London, not the one involving FN Aviation. Ney’s lawyer refused to discuss the details of Ney’s trip abroad with NBC News because of “national security implications.”

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_12_04.php

"Ney returned to the same casino on a personal trip later in 2003 and reported on his financial disclosure form that he won $34,000. Walsh has said Ney parlayed a $100 bet into the large winning on two hands of a three-card game of chance."

That's the trick Rick used in Casablanca to help the young Bulgarian woman get an exit visa for herself and her husband without having to sleep with Louie. Of course, Ney and his cronies cleverly disguised the scheme by changing it from roulette (a couple of bets on good ol' 22) to a card game.

I'm no fan of bribery, but if Ney is going to put his hand out, his homage to Bogie at least shows that he's a crook with an appreciation for a great movie.

http://citizensforethics.org/press/pressclip.php?view=284

At the table at Les Ambassadeurs were a Syrian-born businessman and multimillion-dollar gambler, known in London casinos as the Fat Man, and a former Florida airplane broker once convicted of income-tax evasion. Joining them that night in February 2003 was a Republican congressman from rural eastern Ohio, Bob Ney. . . .

Ney's trips to London in 2003 appear unrelated to Abramoff. In February that year, Ney met with Fouad al-Zayat, the Syrian-born businessman, and 67-year-old Nigel Winfield, a U.S. citizen who has lived in Florida.

NBC and public records indicate that Zayat has been one of the executives associated with FN Aviation. Zayat lists his nationality as Portuguese and reports a Cyprus address. He was an FN director when he met Ney in 2003. Sara Fouad Zayat, who also lists her address as Cyprus and was described by people answering the phone at Mr. Zayat's offices as his daughter, is a current FN director, according to records.

The Sunday Times of London in 2002 reported that "Former business partners say he (Zayat) has acted as an intermediary in a series of contracts for the supply of defense-related equipment in Cyprus and the Middle East." The Sunday Times also reported that a London casino sued Zayat, alleging he paid $3.6 million in gambling debts with checks that bounced.

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/viewtopic.php?topic=58494&forum=13

In a telephone interview, Winfield told NBC News he wanted Ney's help selling planes in the Middle East.

"My only interest was trying to meet a congressman and see what we could do," says Winfield.

http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/cmnews/2002/02-03-21.cmnews.html

Thursday, March 21, 2002

LONDON'S Ritz Casino has issued a writ against one of its biggest customers, a Syrian businessman who lives in Nicosia, for allegedly bouncing £2 million worth of cheques. Fouad al-Zayat, who according to Tuesday's Independent is a legend in the private clubs of Mayfair, has had his assets, which include a Boeing 747 and a £158,000 Rolls Royce, frozen by the High Court.

Court papers were served on al-Zayat at his apartment in the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane. The Independent said he had gambled £21 million at the Ritz alone since he became a member in 1998. He visited the establishment 156 times between 1999 and 2001, losing nearly £10 million.

According to the writ, he gave the casino seven cheques in exchange for £2 million in chips. The Ritz says the cheques bounced and the casino obtained orders freezing al-Zayat's bank accounts in London, the Isle of Man, Geneva and Cyprus.

One casino director reportedly said of al-Zayat; "he has been known to spend £1 million comfortably in an evening. He is also a huge tipper and it's not unusual for him to tip £1,000 to a waitress who brings him his tea."

http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/cmnews/1998/98-09-29.cmnews.html

98-09-29

DISY deputy Christos Pourgourides <of Cyprus> claimed yesterday he had further damaging allegations against Interior Minister Dinos Michaelides concerning the "illegal release" of some 300 foreigners. . . .

Pourgourides claims one of the cases he is investigating involves gun trafficking but said the two party members are not linked to the government. . . .

Meanwhile lawyers representing Fouad Al Zayat have sent a letter to Pourgourides calling on him to withdraw allegations concerning their client. Al Zayat was described as a known arms dealer who had acquired Cypriot nationality and was seen wining and dining the minister.

The letter points out that Zayat is in no way involved in the sale of arms, is a Portuguese national and has a close friendship with Michaelides dating back to 1965.

So to summarize, this guy al-Zayat has some interest in selling airplanes but denies being an arms dealer, was born in Syria but has either Portuguese or Cypriot nationality, depending on which story you believe, lives in Cypris and has bank accounts in such notorious money-laundering havens as Cyprus and the Isle of Man, is so wealthy that he thinks nothing of gambling away £10 million in three years at just one of several London casinos he frequents, and might just conceivably be interested in bribing a US Congressman. Oh -- and he's also known as "the Fat Man." (Shades of Sidney Greenstreet in "The Maltese Falcon"!)

So the question that naturally arises would be -- just what business is this guy in?

[spanone]

10. You mean Iran? the presidents 'Grave Threat'? The enemy?

this just gets better and better. Tried to swindle Elvis in a plane deal, you gotta love it.