Iran-Contra Hearings Day 1 Part 30: Richard Secord Testimony Part 15 (1987)

May 5, 1987 Criticism of companies such as Halliburton in the context of the Iraq war draw heavily on the stereotype of the businessman profiteer. Slogans relating to 'blood for oil' have a similar implication. Steve Clemons, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation think tank, has accused former CIA Director James Woolsey of both profiting from and promoting the Iraq War. The Center for Public Integrity has reported that US Senator Dianne Feinstein and her husband, Richard Blum, are making millions of dollars from Iraq and Afghanistan contracts through his company, Perini. Feinstein voted for the resolution giving President George W. Bush the authority to invade Iraq. Indicted defense contractor Brent R. Wilkes was reported to be ecstatic when hearing that the United States was going to go to war with Iraq. He and some of his top executives were really gung-ho about the war, said a former employee. Brent said this would create new opportunities for the company. He was really excited about doing business in the Middle East. The War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2007 intended to create criminal penalties for war profiteers and others who exploit taxpayer-funded efforts in Iraq and elsewhere around the world. War profiteering cases are often brought under the Civil False Claims Act, which was enacted in 1863 to combat war profiteering during the Civil War. Major General Smedley Butler, USMC, criticized war profiteering of US companies during World War I in War Is a ...

Channel: YouTube Video Length: 9m 56s Date Found: Mon, May 03 2010 6:30 PM Category: Home Video Date Produced: Mon, May 03 2010 10:38 AM View Count: 0