Reuters) - Tens of millions of U.S. dollars in cash were delivered by the CIA in suitcases, backpacks and plastic shopping bags to the office of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai for more than a decade, the New York Times says, citing current and former advisers to the Afghan leader.
The so-called "ghost money" was meant to buy influence for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) but instead fuelled corruption and empowered warlords, undermining Washington's exit strategy from Afghanistan, the newspaper quoted U.S. officials as saying."The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan", one American official said, "was the United States."The CIA declined to comment on the report and the U.S. State Department did not immediately comment. The New York Times did not publish any comment from Karzai or his office."We called it 'ghost money'," Khalil Roman, who served as Karzai's chief of staff from 2002 until 2005, told the New York Times. "It came in secret and it left in secret."
for those who knit pick notice it said for more than a decade starting during Bush admin. where are the right wing deficit hawks isn't that part of the 16 trillion that Bush contributed to his legacy and our demise?
There was no evidence that Karzai personally received any of the money, Afghan officials told the newspaper. The cash was handled by his National Security Council, it added.In response to the report, Karzai told reporters in Helsinki after a meeting with Finnish leaders that the office of the National Security Council had been receiving support from the U.S. government for the past 10 years. He said the amounts had been "not big" and the funds were used for various purposes including assistance for the wounded."It's multi-purpose assistance," he said, without commenting on the report's claims the funds fuelled corruption and empowered warlords.
so where are Issa, McCain and Graham oh and the newbies Cruz and Pul isn't this worth a witch hunt or two, where are the grand inquistors they are not even going after Pres. because they know they started it, they haven't learned yet money can't buy you love, democracy ala Obama can and would be a lot more successful if the republicans stop putting all ten toes in their mouths in front of the world.
heres a tip check Cheyney's pockets.
