Senator calls on Treasury to investigate if Halliburton move to Dubai linked to Iran deals

RAW STORY

A key U.S. senator is calling on the Treasury Department to ensure that a controversial Houston-based multinational corporation, Halliburton, is not benefiting financially from the move of its headquarters to the Middle East, according to a release advanced to RAW STORY.

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Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) says in the release, "Halliburton has gone to extraordinary lengths in the past to do business with the terrorist government in Iran," citing recent Treasure investigations of the multinational's business dealings with Tehran. "The company's odd announcement this week certainly sets off alarm bells about its intention to do business with state sponsors of terrorism. When it comes to Halliburton we can't trust, and we need to verify."

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Elsewhere, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), likely 2008 presidential nominee, also issued a statement in response to the Halliburton announcement.

"I think that raises a lot of serious issues we have to look at," said the former First Lady. "Does this mean they are going to quit paying taxes in America? They are going to take all the advantage of our country but not pay their fair share of taxes?"

She continued, "They get a lot of government contracts - is this going to affect the investigations that are going on? Because we have a lot of evidence of misuse of government contracts and how they have cheated the American soldier and cheated the American taxpayer. They have taken the money and not provided the services, so does this mean that we won't be able to pursue these investigations?"

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Under current U.S. terror sanctions law, U.S. companies are prohibited from doing business with certain terrorist nations. However, the law contains a loophole that allows foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies to do business with terrorist states. Senator Lautenberg authored legislation in the last Congress that would have extended the reach of sanctions laws to the foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies. The measure failed by one vote, but Lautenberg plans to reintroduce the legislation this year.