Iran/Contra Criminals Appointed To Office By Bush
In the Iran/Contra Arms/Drugs scandal, U.S. officials sold arms to
enemies of the U.S. and sold cocaine inside the U.S. Profits from
these illegal activities went to the dealers and to fund international
wars that the government was specifically bared from funding. The
CIA coordinated the crimes.
For details regarding the scandal visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Contra
Facing exposure of serious criminal charges, President Reagan who
denied any involvement appointed the "Tower Commission" to investigate
himself and his government officials. The Commission criticized
the actions of Oliver North, John Poindexter, Defense Secretary Caspar
Weinberger and others but did not determine Regan or Vice President
Bush's involvement. John Tower, the head of the commission, was
nominated to the position of Secretary of Defense by Bush when he became
President. Tower was accused of many other immoral acts by senior
members of the government.
Oliver North and John Poindexter were indicted on multiple charges on
March 16, 1988. North, indicted on 16 counts, was found guilty by a jury
of three minor counts. The convictions were vacated on appeal on the
grounds that North's Fifth Amendment rights may have been violated by
the indirect use of his testimony to Congress which had been given under
a grant of immunity. In 1990, Poindexter was convicted on several felony
counts of lying to Congress, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and
altering and destroying documents pertinent to the investigation. His
convictions were also overturned on appeal on similar grounds.
In the Poindexter's hometown of Odon, Indiana, a street was renamed
to John Poindexter Street. Bill Breedan, a former minister, stole the
street's sign in protest of the Iran-Contra Affair. He claimed that he
was holding it for a ransom of $30 million, in reference to the amount
of money given to Iran to transfer to the contras. He was later arrested
and was sent to jail, making him, as stated by Howard Zinn, "the only
person to be imprisoned as a result of the Iran-contra Affair."
In 1996 when journalist Gary Webb published reports in the San Jose
Mercury News, and later in his book Dark Alliance, detailing how Contras
had distributed crack cocaine into Los Angeles to fund weapons
purchases. In 2004 Gary Webb was murdered, the Sacramento Sheriff
however concluded the TWO gunshots fired into Gary's head were an
apparent suicide, so there was no follow-up investigation.
Also in 1986 two journalists represented by the Christic Institute
filed suit against the CIA and other parties for their criminal acts,
including financing the purchase of arms with the proceeds of cocaine
sales. The suit was dismissed; several of the named participants
subsequently sued the Christic Institute for libel and won.
On January 29, 1997 The Wall Street Journal reported: "At the center
of the web of speculation spun around Mena are a few undisputed facts:
One of the most successful drug informants in U.S. history, smuggler
Barry Seal, based his air operation at Mena. At the height of his career
he was importing as much as 1,000 pounds of cocaine per month, and had a
personal fortune estimated at more than $50 million."
Then-governor Bill Clinton was alleged to be involved in the drug
smuggling into the Mena airport in Arkansas.
Faced with undeniable evidence of his involvement in the scandal,
Reagan expressed regret regarding the situation at a nationally
televised White House press conference on Ash Wednesday, March 4, 1987.
Responding to questions, Reagan stated that his previous assertions that
the U.S. did not trade arms for hostages were incorrect. He also stated
that the Vice President knew of the plan.
Senator John Kerry's April 13, 1988 U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations report on Contra drug links, stated that members of the U.S.
State Department "who provided support for the Contras were involved in
drug trafficking" and "the Contras themselves knowingly received
financial and material assistance from drug traffickers." and that "the
Contra drug links included...payments to drug traffickers by the U.S.
State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian
assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been
indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others
while traffickers were under active investigation by these same
agencies."
In 1998, CIA Inspector General Frederick Hitz published a two-volume
report substantiating many of Gary Webb's claims of serious criminal
activity by the Regan-Bush / Clinton administration. The report
also documented the cover-up of evidence and showed that Oliver North
and the National Security Council were aware of these activities.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Bromwich later in 1998 also
released a report drawing similar conclusions. The CIA report originally
at
https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/cocaine/contra-story/findings.html
has been removed and replaced with the following https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/index.html
Gary Webb who provided the service of what the CIA and FBI were meant
to provide is murdered and his murder ignored, the government officials
caught red handed in crimes that other citizens receive life sentences
for are completely pardoned and rewarded. In 1992 U.S. President
George H.W. Bush pardoned six more people involved crimes, namely
Elliott Abrams, Duane R. Clarridge, Alan Fiers, Clair George, Robert C.
McFarlane, and Caspar W. Weinberger.
Admiral John Poindexter who was found guilty of multiple felony
counts for conspiracy, obstruction of justice, lying to Congress,
defrauding the government, and the alteration and destruction of
evidence had his convictions reversed and was appointed by Bush to the
Director of the Information Awareness Office.
Elliott Abrams who pleaded guilty on two counts of unlawfully
withholding information, was also pardoned. Bush then appointed him to
the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the
National Security Council for Near East and North African Affairs
Robert Gates who was the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence from
1991–1993 during the Iran Contra scandal and who undoubtedly would have
been involved in the crimes was promoted by Bush on December 6, 2006 to
replace the disgraced resigning Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense.
Charles E. Allen a 47 year CIA veteran who according to co-workers
brought his suspicions of Iran/Contra related funds diversion to Robert
Gates and was involved in the cover-up. CIA's Director of Central
Intelligence William Webster, formally reprimanded Allen for failing to
fully comply with the DCI's request for full cooperation in the agency's
internal Iran-Contra scandal investigation. In August of 2005 Bush
promoted Allen to Chief Intelligence Officer at the Department of
Homeland Security.
Clearly crimes committed by our government officials are rewarded
while those exposing the crimes are murdered and sued.
Next in line the HR 1995 the Thought Crime Bill which passed 404
votes to 6 through the House of mis-Representatives, it allows the
government to throw anyone in jail who's thoughts they don't like... |
