Jeremy Scahill: Hillary Clinton Gives 'Shameless Pitch' for Crooked Corporation in Russia

[marmar]

via CommonDreams:



Published on Monday, October 19, 2009 by Rebel Reports

Hillary Clinton Gives 'Shameless Pitch' for Crooked Corporation in Russia
by Jeremy Scahill


On a recent visit to Moscow, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was there to deliver a "shameless pitch" to the start-up Russian airline Rosavia to sign a major contract with Boeing to purchase a new fleet of aircraft from the US aerospace giant. "This has been a consistent commitment on the part of the United States Government here in Moscow to promote this, because it really does illustrate very powerfully what we can do together," Clinton said during an October 13 visit to Boeing Design Center Moscow. She said the Export-Import Bank of the United States "would welcome an application for financing from Rosavia to support its purchase of Boeing Aircraft, and I hope that on a future visit I'll see a lot of new Rosavia-Boeing planes when I land in Moscow."

Boeing is the leading aerospace company in the world and a major US defense contractor. Overall, it is the third largest US government contractor with some $24 billion in annual federal contracts. The company does more than $60 billion in annual sales.

Boeing is also a major recidivist corporate crook.

Since 1995, Boeing has paid $1.5 billion in fines to settle more than 30 instances of misconduct, according to the non-partisan Project on Government Oversight. According to POGO, these include multiple violations of the Arms Export Control Act, including selling defense technology to Russia and China showing "blatant disregard" for State Department directives. According to POGO, Boeing settled cases with the US government for:

* In 1995-96, violating the Arms Export Control Act, involving the transfer of rocket data to China.

* In 1998, violating the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations by exporting technical data and defense services to Russia, the Ukraine, Norway and Germany "without the required approvals from the Department and, in other circumstances, violated the terms and conditions of approvals that were provided by the Department."

* In 2001, violating the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations in connection with its involvement in the Australian military's Wedgetail project "by violating the express terms and conditions of Department of State munitions license and other authorizations, by exporting defense articles and defense services without a munitions license or other authorization, and by omitting material facts from its applications for munitions licenses or other authorizations."

* Between 2000 and 2003, violating the Arms Export Control Act. According to the State Department, Boeing sold to China and other countries 94 commercial jets with the gyrochip embedded in the flight boxes without obtaining an export license and in "blatant disregard" of State Department directives. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/19-8

[TreasonousBastard]

1. So, should the subject come up, Hillary should...

tell the Russians they must buy Airbus because US companies are full of crooks and liars.

Is that the point here?

[karynnj]

2. Neither Jeremy Scahill or counterpunch are good sources

Boeing is a major American company. Clinton did nothing wrong.

[Raineyb]

3. Since when are the phrases "major American company" and

"crooked" mutually exclusive?

I'd say that the opposite was true more often than not.

Boeing may be a major American company but they're still bloody crooked.

In addition, Scahill wrote the book on Blackwarter so he's credible enough to point out their crookedness but no one else's?

Third, the article is from Common Dreams not Counterpunch for those who give a damn either way.

So what are you saying, so long as Scahill and others like him point out the wrongdoing of people we don't like it's okay; but as soon as they point out uncomfortable truths involving people we do like they're not credible anymore?

Who's going under the proverbial bus next? Amy Goodman?

[Octafish]

4. Scahill risked his life unearthing the Blackwater story.

The guy's pegged Erik Prince and a bunch more of the fascist cretins running Godco and War Inc.

FWIW: I don't agree with Cockburn in regards to the assassination of President Kennedy, as well as a lot of what's on Counterpunch. Compared to what comes out of The New York Times and ABCNNBCBSFauxNoiseNutwork, however, they are invaluable information resources.

[Raineyb]

5. There are stories I can take or leave as well but I too find Counterpunch

to be a decent source of information. And the people there sure had this economy pegged before any of the useful idiots in the MSM did.

[HamdenRice]

6. Very misleading headline to slime Hillary with

I'll put aside whether a SOS's job includes selling big ticket American hardware.

But the headline says:

"Hillary Clinton Gives 'Shameless Pitch' FOR Crooked Corporation in Russia"

when it should read:

"Hillary Clinton Gives 'Shameless Pitch' TO Crooked Corporation in Russia FOR Boeing"

In other words, it makes it sound like Hillary is shilling for a crooked Russian company. She isn't. She's shilling for Boeing, trying to get the Russian company to buy American.

Very misleading.

[Raineyb]

7. In other words, she's shilling for the crooked American company

The headline isn't misleading, that the crooked company in question is American doesn't make it less crooked.

On edit: Changed word order for clarity.