USPresidentGeorge W. Bush’s administration sought to influence theoutcome ofIraq’s January legislative elections, using covertoperations to avoid alandslide victory by Shiites close to Iran,according to a New Yorker magazine article released Monday, July 18.Citingunidentifiedpast and present intelligence and military officials,award-winningjournalist Seymour Hersh said the clandestine operationwas part of a”highly classified presidential ‘finding’ authorizing theCIA to providemoney and other support covertly to political candidatesin certaincountries who, in the Administration’s view, were seeking tospreaddemocracy.”
A recently retired high-level CIA official told Hersh that though the finding “was general” Iraq “was a stop on the way”.
Ahigh-rankingUnited Nations official was quoted as saying: “TheAmerican Embassy’saim was to make sure that (former premier Iyad)Allawi remained as PrimeMinister, and they tried to do it throughmanipulation of the system.”
Overriding Opposition
TheBushadministration decided “sometime after” Bush’s re-election tooverridecongressional opposition to the finding championed by theDemocraticleader in the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosy andcovertlyintervene in the elections.
“Thegeniusof the operation lies in the behind-the-scenes operatives — wehavehired hands to deal with this,” a former senior intelligenceofficer wasquoted as saying.
Hershsaidthese activities were kept “off the books” and were conducted byretiredCIA officers and other non-government personnel using funds”notnecessarily appropriated by Congress.”
ButWhiteHouse officials, responding to the article in statements toReuters,said that Bush decided in the end against the covert plan andinstead heinformed Congress that the administration would provideovert trainingand advice to Iraqi political parties deemed to bemoderate anddemocratic.
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