CIA Buddy Landed Iraq Deal for Contractor
By Paul Kiel – February 6, 2007, 4:59 PM
With Brent Wilkes speeding towards indictment, the AP churns up more details about his close friend Dusty Foggo, the former Executive Director of the CIA, helped him land a multimillion deal in Iraq.
The contract, previously reported to be worth between $2 million and $3 million, was a no-bid, unneeded deal to distribute water in Iraq. In other words, it was right up Wilkes’ alley, since he specialized in selling unneeded and drastically overpriced equipment and services to the government via acquaintances like the now-incarcerated Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA).
The problem for Dusty Foggo, who left his senior post at the CIA shortly before federal agents raided his house, is that CIA officials, according to the AP, are saying that the recommendation to hire Wilkes’ company — which was headed by his young nephew and had existed for only a few months — came from Foggo. The AP reported last week that prosecutors are planning to file honest services fraud and conspiracy charges against Foggo and Wilkes.
Of course, Foggo’s lawyer has earlier said that he had no idea that the company had any connection to his best friend. Prosecutors must be pretty confident about how that story would play in front of a jury — especially since Foggo reportedly told his poker buddies that “he may have tipped off Wilkes that CIA contracts were coming up for bid.”
