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Coleman v. Galloway -- oil for food scandal
Senator Coleman versus Galloway, Member of Parliament. Who will get the better of it?
This should be fun to see. Quite an odd opposing pair to be sure. The newly elected young senator from Minnesota versus the rather grayed firebrand parliamentarian. I'm not quite sure why Coleman invited Galloway to give testimony to his investigative subcommittee, since there's a lot of risk that Galloway will just run out the clock by blathering on and on about the Iraq War. On the other hand, I'm not sure why Galloway is doing this, since the first rule of defense is to keep quiet unless your case is looking grim and you've got nothing to lose.
Coleman is an experienced and rather skilled prosecutor, so I wonder whether he's loaded for bear. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Galloway is at a pretty extreme disadvantage, not knowing what kind of evidence the subcommittee has (in a normal court proceeding, the defense has seen all of the prosecution evidence). I have personally seen very good witnesses destroyed on the stand because of a bolt of lightening from an unexpected direction. All of his dirty underoos for the last 30 years are fair game.
Anyway, get the bag of marshmallows. We've got some potentially classic political theater on tap.
This should be fun to see. Quite an odd opposing pair to be sure. The newly elected young senator from Minnesota versus the rather grayed firebrand parliamentarian. I'm not quite sure why Coleman invited Galloway to give testimony to his investigative subcommittee, since there's a lot of risk that Galloway will just run out the clock by blathering on and on about the Iraq War. On the other hand, I'm not sure why Galloway is doing this, since the first rule of defense is to keep quiet unless your case is looking grim and you've got nothing to lose.
Coleman is an experienced and rather skilled prosecutor, so I wonder whether he's loaded for bear. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Galloway is at a pretty extreme disadvantage, not knowing what kind of evidence the subcommittee has (in a normal court proceeding, the defense has seen all of the prosecution evidence). I have personally seen very good witnesses destroyed on the stand because of a bolt of lightening from an unexpected direction. All of his dirty underoos for the last 30 years are fair game.
Anyway, get the bag of marshmallows. We've got some potentially classic political theater on tap.
British MP flies to Washington to rebut charges
By Jimmy Burns in London, John Thornhill in Paris and Holly Yeager in Washington
Published: May 16 2005 20:41 | Last updated: May 16 2005 20:41
The scene appears set on Tuesday for a showdown between the maverick leftwing British parliamentarian George Galloway and a high-profile US Senate committee.
Mr Galloway flew from London to Washington early on Monday to defend himself against allegations by the Senate's permanent subcommittee on investigations that he received lucrative oil allocations from Saddam Hussein under the United Nations' humanitarian oil-for-food programme.
The committee said last week it had “significant evidence” that Mr Galloway had profited personally from oil vouchers given to him in reward for his outspoken criticism of UN sanctions against Iraq.
But on Monday Mr Galloway once again denied the accusations and vowed to clear his name. “The truth is I have never bought or sold a drop of oil from Iraq, or sold or bought a drop of oil from anybody. If I had, I would be a very rich man and the person who made me rich would already be in the public domain,” he told the BBC.
Mr Galloway, who was expelled from the Labour party in 2004 for his views on Iraq, appears to be relishing the prospect of taking on his accusers.
“I am going to accuse them [the committee] of being involved in a huge diversion from the real issues in Iraq. . . the deaths of more than 100,000 people, the destruction of the country, the opening of the doors to Islamic extremism of the al-Qaeda variety,” Mr Galloway said.
The recently re-elected MP, now representing the anti-war Respect party, has charged the 13-strong Republican-led Senate committee of being part of a US-led conspiracy against the UN and those who opposed the war in Iraq.
“They want to throw people's attention on to Kofi Annan. . . and myself and the government of France.”
Separately Charles Pasqua, France's former interior minister, also denied any involvement in the Iraq oil-for-food scandal and accused US investigators of seeking to use his name to attack France.
He said: “I have never been in Iraq. I have never seen Saddam Hussein and I have never received anything whatsoever from the Iraqis.”
Mr Pasqua, who was interior minister from 1993 to 1995, was named last week by the US Senate committee report as another recipient of Iraqi oil allocations.
Meanwhile Reuters quoted Yuri Fedotov, Russian deputy foreign minister, as saying Russia had no evidence its citizens won oil rights worth millions of dollars from Mr Hussein in return for their support in lifting sanctions. The committee claimed that senior advisers to President Vladimir Putin had received oil allocations from Baghdad in return for Moscow's support in the Security Council.
Mr Coleman has made an investigation of the oil-forfood programme a focus of his work on a panel that has often been a vehicle for senators eager to make a mark. Joseph McCarthy, the Republican who became chairman in 1953, used it as the platform for his notorious anti-communist investigations.
By Jimmy Burns in London, John Thornhill in Paris and Holly Yeager in Washington
Published: May 16 2005 20:41 | Last updated: May 16 2005 20:41
The scene appears set on Tuesday for a showdown between the maverick leftwing British parliamentarian George Galloway and a high-profile US Senate committee.
Mr Galloway flew from London to Washington early on Monday to defend himself against allegations by the Senate's permanent subcommittee on investigations that he received lucrative oil allocations from Saddam Hussein under the United Nations' humanitarian oil-for-food programme.
The committee said last week it had “significant evidence” that Mr Galloway had profited personally from oil vouchers given to him in reward for his outspoken criticism of UN sanctions against Iraq.
But on Monday Mr Galloway once again denied the accusations and vowed to clear his name. “The truth is I have never bought or sold a drop of oil from Iraq, or sold or bought a drop of oil from anybody. If I had, I would be a very rich man and the person who made me rich would already be in the public domain,” he told the BBC.
Mr Galloway, who was expelled from the Labour party in 2004 for his views on Iraq, appears to be relishing the prospect of taking on his accusers.
“I am going to accuse them [the committee] of being involved in a huge diversion from the real issues in Iraq. . . the deaths of more than 100,000 people, the destruction of the country, the opening of the doors to Islamic extremism of the al-Qaeda variety,” Mr Galloway said.
The recently re-elected MP, now representing the anti-war Respect party, has charged the 13-strong Republican-led Senate committee of being part of a US-led conspiracy against the UN and those who opposed the war in Iraq.
“They want to throw people's attention on to Kofi Annan. . . and myself and the government of France.”
Separately Charles Pasqua, France's former interior minister, also denied any involvement in the Iraq oil-for-food scandal and accused US investigators of seeking to use his name to attack France.
He said: “I have never been in Iraq. I have never seen Saddam Hussein and I have never received anything whatsoever from the Iraqis.”
Mr Pasqua, who was interior minister from 1993 to 1995, was named last week by the US Senate committee report as another recipient of Iraqi oil allocations.
Meanwhile Reuters quoted Yuri Fedotov, Russian deputy foreign minister, as saying Russia had no evidence its citizens won oil rights worth millions of dollars from Mr Hussein in return for their support in lifting sanctions. The committee claimed that senior advisers to President Vladimir Putin had received oil allocations from Baghdad in return for Moscow's support in the Security Council.
Mr Coleman has made an investigation of the oil-forfood programme a focus of his work on a panel that has often been a vehicle for senators eager to make a mark. Joseph McCarthy, the Republican who became chairman in 1953, used it as the platform for his notorious anti-communist investigations.
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