U.S. Knew of Chalabi Warrants (did not object -earlier lie by Bush exposed

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-chalabi14aug14.story
THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ
U.S. Knew of Chalabi Warrants (did not object -earlier lie by Bush exposed)
The administration earlier denied any discussions with Iraqi leaders on plans to charge a former ally with counterfeiting.
By Paul Richter
Times Staff Writer

August 14, 2004

WASHINGTON — U.S. officials were informed in advance that Iraq's interim government planned to crack down on Ahmad Chalabi, a longtime Bush administration ally, and did not object to the move, a U.S. official said.

Early this week, administration officials sought to distance themselves from the furor over arrest warrants issued Sunday for Chalabi, a prominent former exile, and his nephew Salem. They said they were unaware of the Iraqi government's plans.

But a U.S. official acknowledged in an interview Thursday that the Bush administration had been aware of the impending move against the Chalabis.<snip>

In the first U.S. response to the accusations against the Chalabis, a State Department spokesman told reporters Monday that the charges were "certainly new to us. This is a question of the Iraqi justice system at work. And we are going to play the appropriate role, which is to let that process take its course." <snip>

[otohara]

1. Really, They Knew BEFORE?

This is stunning news - I guess sovereignty means always having to call your "occupying power"!

[patcox2]

2. We need to distinguish between "the administration" and State.

I certainly can accept that "the administration" of born again zealots simply does not share information with the state department. These nutjobs have hated the state department since their spiritual godfather McCarthy and his list of state department employees. There is a nutjob press (Regnery) book out right now that accuses the state department of treason.

This isn't a sign of lying or flip-flopping, its a sign of a paranoid and isolated white house controlld by lunatic fringe right wingers that doesn't even tell its own state department important information.