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Behind the scenes aid to candidates { July 17 2005 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050717/NEWS06/507170472http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050717/NEWS06/507170472
Officials: U.S. planned to sway Iraqi vote
Objections by Congress reportedly halted move to give candidates behind-the-scenes aid.
By Douglas Jehl and David E. Sanger
The New York Times
July 17, 2005
WASHINGTON -- In the months before the Iraqi elections in January, President Bush approved a plan to provide covert support to certain Iraqi candidates and political parties but rescinded the proposal because of congressional opposition, current and former government officials said Saturday.
In a statement issued in response to questions about a report in the next issue of The New Yorker, National Security Council spokesman Frederick Jones said that "in the final analysis, the president determined and the United States government adopted a policy that we would not try -- and did not try -- to influence the outcome of the Iraqi election by covertly helping individual candidates for office."
The statement appeared to leave open the question of whether covert help was provided to parties favored by Washington.
The article, by Seymour M. Hersh, reports that the administration proceeded with the covert plan over congressional objections.
Several senior Bush administration officials disputed that, although they recalled renewed discussions within the administration last fall about how the United States might counter what was seen as extensive Iranian support to pro-Iranian Shiite parties.
Any clandestine U.S. effort to influence the Iraqi elections, or to provide particular support to candidates or parties seen as amenable to working with the United States, would have run counter to the Bush administration's assertions that the vote would be free and unfettered.
In public statements, Bush has insisted that the United States will help promote conditions for democracy throughout the region but will live with whatever governments emerge in free elections.
The article cites unidentified former military and intelligence officials who said the administration went ahead with covert election activities in Iraq that "were conducted by retired CIA officers and other nongovernment personnel, and used funds that were not necessarily appropriated by Congress."
But it does not provide details and says, "the methods and the scope of the covert effort have been hard to discern."
Rep. Jane Harman of California, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, issued a statement saying that she could not discuss classified information and noting: "Congress was consulted about the administration's posture in the Iraqi election. I was personally consulted. But if the administration did what is alleged, that would be a violation of the covert action requirements, and that would be deeply troubling."
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