Lobbying: The Web Widens (Republican Rep. Bob Ney Loves Iran)

[No Exit]

I'm just so confused! I thought the Iranians were evil, and were our enemies! And... President Bush? Consorting with people who are in with "Syrian-born businessmen"? Say it ain't so!


LOBBYING: THE WEB WIDENS

By Mark Hosenball, Michael Isikoff and Holly Bailey

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.

(snip)

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

(emphasis added)

(slapping knee)"Humanitarian reasons"! Bwahaha! That's a good one! Republican Rep. Ney was being a humanitarian to Evil Iranians! Might as well give alms to Satan himself, Bob. Oh, and look, there's that famous golfing trip to Scotland, AGAIN. How 'bout that high life, huh, Bob? So you had a "longstanding interest in Iran", huh? So I guess you'll vote against us bombing them, right? Humanitarianism, and all that, right? You're a regular Mother Teresa with balls, Bob. And how 'bout this Winfield guy? Loves Iranians, but tried to cheat ELVIS? Oh, yeah, I'm sure all we Amuricans can get behind HIM...

[Independent_Liberal]

1. That little fucktard is going to go down in flames!

:)