Booman Tribune

On Free Whores, Limos and the DCI

by BooMan
Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 01:16:20 PM EST

Certain members of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence have been very naughty boys.

Federal prosecutors are reviewing records of two Washington, D.C., hotels where Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes rented suites as part of their investigation into whether prostitutes were involved as he tried to curry favor with lawmakers and CIA officials.

Wilkes, whom federal prosecutors have identified as a co-conspirator in the bribery case of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, rented hospitality suites in the capital on behalf of his flagship company, ADCS Inc.

...Several of Wilkes' former employees and business associates say he used the hospitality suites over the past 15 years to curry favor with lawmakers as well as officials with the CIA, where both Wilkes and Wade sought contracts.

Wilkes hosted parties for lawmakers and periodic poker games that included CIA officials as well as members of the House Appropriations and Intelligence committees. Cunningham, who sat on both committees, was a frequent guest, according to some of the participants in the poker games.

It gets even more interesting. The Director of Central Intelligence could be implicated. More on that, and on the poker games below the fold.

People who were present at the games said one of the regular players was Kyle Dustin “Dusty” Foggo, who has been Wilkes' best friend since the two attended junior high school in Chula Vista in the late 1960s. In October, Foggo was named the CIA's executive director – the agency's third-highest position.

Good old Dusty Foggo. This guy is a character. His appointment was met with some skepticism within the agency.

The critical position of executive director--the person responsible for actually running the CIA day to day--is now going to a twenty-two-year agency veteran, but knowledgeable observers are less than optimistic about how the nominee, K. Dusty Foggo, will do, particularly with regard to fixing the agency's very broken support functions. While Foggo has had ample field experience--his last overseas assignment was running the agency's Germany-based forward logistics facility--his lack of senior headquarters-level posts may be inadequate preparation to run a 33,000-strong agency. "He hasn't had a lot of give and take with the division chiefs or deputy directors, as well as equivalents at other agencies or on the Hill--at best, he's not ready," says one veteran. Some also note memorable overseas clashes between Foggo and DO officers and State Department personnel.

Now Foggo is under investigation, and it isn't hard to figure out why.

Foggo, who occasionally hosted the poker parties at his house in northern Virginia, is under investigation by the CIA's inspector general to determine whether he helped Wilkes gain CIA contracts.

...One of Wilkes' companies, Archer Logistics, won a contract to provide bottled water, first-aid kits and other supplies to CIA agents in Afghanistan and Iraq. The company had no previous experience with such work, having been founded a few months before the contract was granted.

Critics familiar with the contract, valued at $2 million to $3 million, say the CIA overpaid for the work. The contract was approved by the CIA office in Frankfurt, Germany, where Foggo oversaw acquisitions. Foggo did not personally sign the contract, however, said unnamed CIA officials who spoke with Newsweek.

Now, let's put this together. First let me add one more piece from Ken Silverstein and Harper's Blog.

I've learned from a highly-connected source that those under intense scrutiny by the FBI are current and former lawmakers on Defense and Intelligence comittees -- including one person who now holds a powerful intelligence post.

Okay. We have one Dusty Foggo, previously a middle ranking logistics expert, who Porter Goss elevated to the number three position at Langley. Foggo had poker parties both at his home and at the hospitality suite where Duke Cunningham took his hookers. The poker parties involved CIA employees, and members of the Intelligence and Appropriations committees, "including one person who now holds a powerful intelligence post". That person certainly sounds like Porter Goss.

The poker games have been described quite colorfully:

As to the festivities themselves, I hear that party nights began early with poker games and degenerated into what the source described as a "frat party" scene—real bacchanals. Apparently photographs were taken, and investigators are anxiously procuring copies. My heart beats faster in fevered anticipation.

And then there is the whole issue of the limousine company.

Wilkes, I've learned, even hired Shirlington as his personal limousine service.

It gets even more interesting: the man who has been identified as the CEO of Shirlington has a 62-page rap sheet (I recently obtained a copy) that runs from at least 1979 through 1989 and lists charges of petit larceny, robbery, receiving stolen goods, assault, and more. Curiously—or perhaps not so curiously given the company's connections—Shirlington Limousine is also a Department of Homeland Security contractor; according to the Washington Post, last fall it won a $21.2 million contract for shuttle services and transportation support. (I tried to contact Shirlington but was unable to get past their answering service.)

It never ends with the Republicans and their culture of corruption. As for which Republican congressmen may be implicated in this scandal, it doesn't look good for Appropriations member John Doolittle.



Display:
O my! If I were one of those hookers, I'd be leaving the country about now. Or dying my hair brown and taking a job at a fast-food joint in Vermont or Iowa, you know, the last place they'd ever look for me.  
by sjct on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 01:31:28 PM EST
I hadn't even thought of that whole angle.
by BooMan on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 01:36:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]


Dudehisattva...
"Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Effort, Concentration, and Wisdom"
by bood abides (thedoodabides@suddenlink.net) on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 01:35:40 PM EST
but I'm at work and I've got no way to post it...

The link is HERE and he's apparently the first one on the left...

Dudehisattva...

"Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Effort, Concentration, and Wisdom"
by bood abides (thedoodabides@suddenlink.net) on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 01:49:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
yup, that's him.  There's another photo in one of my links in this article.  I forget which though.

He looks like a guy that would enjoy a good cigar before his bacchanalia.

by BooMan on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 02:01:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
You'd have to pay me too!

PMS Purchase More Shoes
by Militarytracy on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 03:10:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sorry, just brushing off after getting up from floor once I stopped laughing.

Think of our constitution as a levy. Think of our democracy as New Orleans. Now, what are you prepared to do?
by Into The Woods on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 04:55:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
But isn't this precisely why Republicans go into politics?  So many will now be devastated.

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-
by boran2 (blogistan@yahoo.com) on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 01:49:51 PM EST

Lying and cheating is hard work. So,
when they work hard - lying hard as they do, gotta have a cosy place where they can smoke it up.  No?

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"
by idredit on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 02:31:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Scarborough last night, which was a fluke since I usually change the channel right after Keith (Rita Cosby is hazardous to my blood pressure levels).  Anywho, he promised that his show would be spending a lot of time talking about this issue.  If so-called social conservatives are willing to give these lawmakers the boot, then we may finally be getting somewhere productive.

We are condemned to kill time, thus we die bit by bit - Octavio Paz / Latino Político
by Man Eegee (man.eegee at gmail dot com) on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 01:54:09 PM EST
Wouldn't it be someting if this is what turned the trick -- as it were.

The values folk don't seem to care about the poor, or illegitimate wars, or the environment, or corruption per se.  But WHORES!!!! It might be time to throw some of the rascals out of office.

If you want things to get better, be prepared to deal with change.

by Kahli on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 02:04:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
id be willing to firgive them their whores...as long as they tipped well.....and republicans usually do.
by anna in philly (flymetothemoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 02:43:22 PM EST
I personally don't care if a politician wants to procure the services of a prostitute.  I frown on it in politicians that I would like to see retain their office, but that is merely a matter of discretion.  

This is different.  These guys did not actually pay for their whores but took their services as part of a quid pro quo for government contracts.

That's a major no-no.

by BooMan on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 02:50:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
They tip well because, well that's all they have to give.

Think of our constitution as a levy. Think of our democracy as New Orleans. Now, what are you prepared to do?
by Into The Woods on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 05:03:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by BooMan on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 03:20:43 PM EST
Your other post on the front page today headlines Staggering Looting at Pentagon.

Incomplete.

There is staggering looting going on EVERYWHERE in this administration, and everywhere else in the culture as well.

We are now living in a corporate kleptocracy.

When just about the most honest thing available to watch on TV is high stakes poker?

Big trouble.

Bet on it.

God help us all.

AG

Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie.-Mae West

by Arthur Gilroy (arthurgilroy<at>earthlink.net) on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 03:30:49 PM EST
Unbelievable, rich powerful men using their money to buy women for sex!  I've never heard such a thing.  Next thing you'll tell movie stars and rock singers are doing it too!  Watch out that this 'scandal' isn't being set up to snare some Dems, though it is hard for me to imagine the party of the people partying that way (sic), and to turn the investigation away from the real crimes of the Elephants.  Prostitution isn't called the oldest profession for nothing...

"A change of rulers is the joy of fools" Romanian proverb
by Les Izmore (lesizmoredrinking@dabar) on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 03:36:56 PM EST
except, they weren't paying for them...thus the title of this diary.
by BooMan on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 03:54:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Drop the their in the first sentence if you like.  The point is sex scandals are the grist of the media mill and too much concentration on this juicy contretemps by our leaders may muddy the water and serve the purposes of the wrong folks.  Personally, as an anarc-ho-syndicalist, I take the view that as long as it is clean and non-abusive women should be able to what they want with their bodies including sexually.

"A change of rulers is the joy of fools" Romanian proverb
by Les Izmore (lesizmoredrinking@dabar) on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 04:41:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
LYINGS AND BRIBERS AND BARES, OH MY!\
LYINGS AND BRIBERS AND BARES, OH MY!
We're off to to see the Wizard,
The Wonderful Wizard of Goss.
Because, because, because, because, because...
Because of the illegal things he does.

Think of our constitution as a levy. Think of our democracy as New Orleans. Now, what are you prepared to do?
by Into The Woods on Fri Apr 28th, 2006 at 05:01:48 PM EST


Display:
Go to: [ Booman Tribune Homepage : Top of page : Top of comments ]
Menu
Login
. Make a new account
. Reset password





Find textbooks at Alibris!

NOTE: Overstock bests Amazon's prices and is "blue."

THE BOOKS WITH "BUZZ":
______________

Senator Edward M. Kennedy tells his extraordinary personal story:

True Compass: A Memoir
by Edward M. Kennedy.

Read Barack Obama's vision for America:

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama

Boran2 and maryb2004 recommend:

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime
by Jasper Fforde

Must-have information for all presidents-and citizens-of the twenty-first century?

Physics for Future Presidents: The Science behind the Headlines
Richard A. Muller

rae recommends:

Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire
by Morris Berman.

On BooMan’s shelf:

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This looks interesting:

Adventure Divas
by Holly Morris

Here’s a good one from
Elizabeth Gilbert:

Eat Pray Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert

"Crash" * Best Motion Picture, Academy Awards * Only $11.79 at Overstock * 2006 SAG Winner, Best Ensemble

Check out
Powell's new section:
NEW FAVORITES

Selected new arrivals at 30% off

Recommended by Indianadem and ejmw:
The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Wellstone

From northcountry’s bookshelf:

The New Golden Age:
The Coming Revolution Against
Political Corruption and Economic Chaos
by Ravi Batra

A novel about contractors in Iraq from the woman that runs The Spy That Billed Me:

Outsourced: A Novel
from RJ Hillhouse.


Great Deals
----- * ^ * -----

Find mystery novels by Nancy Pickard ("Kansas")



Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power by Phyllis Bennis (interviewed on DN!)


Featured by Keith Olbermann, New (Powell's Sale): Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower by William Blum (whose other books merit serious consideration)


"Explosive" State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration
by James Risen


The book the CIA doesn't want you to read: Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander
Larry Johnson's review


BT's all-time best seller:

PERMACULTURE:
A Designers' Manual

$79.95 * Sale: $59.95


Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History (Third Edition)


The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor And Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!


The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by Timothy Egan


Green Press Initiative
----- * ^ * -----


Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists by Eleanor Mills * NYT review


Bury Me Standing: the Gypsies & Their Journey


1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus



Brokeback Mountain
by Annie Proulx
----- * ^ * -----
Check out Powell's
"At The Movies"


Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World by Noam Chomsky (Power & Terror: Post 9-11 Talks)


The Price of Privilege:

How Parental Pressure and
Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of
Disconnected and Unhappy Kids

by Madeline Levine


Save 35-70% on
name brand clothing,
footwear, and outdoor gear
at SierraTradingPost.com

:





We listened to PEN American Center's "State of Emergency" and found 1940s books by Curzio Malaparte only at Alibris. (Selection (MP3) excerpted from "The Skin.")

Alibris - Books You Thought You'd Never Find
Banned Books * Are you a fan of Film Noir, Art House, Documentaries or Hong Kong Action? * Searching for a long-lost children's book or a first printing of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue on vinyl? Find it at Alibris!

:
:
www.Patagonia.com


Listed on BlogShares

© 2009 Booman Tribune