It’s been bubbling just beneath the surface for a while now, but the scandal surrounding a lucrative Boeing contact continues to get more interesting. In fact, questions about the White House’s role in the controversy have never been sufficiently explored.
First, a quick recap for those who haven’t heard about this. A year ago this week, we learned that the Air Force negotiated a very lucrative contract — at $23.5 billion, it was the costliest lease in U.S. history — to lease refueling planes from Boeing. The problem was two-fold: the Air Force didn’t need the planes and the cost of the deal was several billion dollars more than it should have been, and everyone knew it. The deal was eventually scrapped and the scandal led to a criminal probe, which ultimately led to prison terms for a former Air Force administrator and a senior Boeing official.
The White House role in this, however, is significant. Bush, who enjoyed generous campaign contributions from Boeing, was reportedly involved directly with the contract. Some members of Congress and the Office of Management and Budget raised objections to the deal, but the Pentagon backed the project — after Bush “personally” asked White House aides to work out a deal. Indeed, Chief of Staff Andrew Card was personally participated in the contract negotiations following an aggressive lobbying campaign by Boeing.
Today, the Washington Post published excerpts from emails detailing the push behind the contract. While Boeing publicly said the deal was part of an efficient system to deliver planes to the military, internal emails at the Pentagon show that the contract was “a bailout for Boeing.” The emails are part of a new report by the Pentagon’s inspector general, which will be presented to the Senate today.
It’s worth noting, however, what the report won’t say.
In the copy of the report obtained by The Washington Post, 45 sections were deleted by the White House counsel’s office to obscure what several sources described as references to White House involvement in the lease negotiations and its interaction with Boeing. The Pentagon separately blacked out 64 names and many e-mails. It also omitted the names of members of Congress, including some who pressured the Pentagon to back the deal.
As a rule, when these guys act like they has something to hide, it’s because they have something to hide. Am I the only one who wonders what the counsel’s office deleted? I also wonder if the national media will begin to ask questions about the extent of the White House’s role in this easy-to-understand, gift-wrapped scandal.