Friday, February 24, 2006

Kimmitt Failed to Make Good on Pledge, Fueling Port-Sale Uproar

Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt, facing an outcry from Congress about the process for approving foreign investment in the U.S., promised lawmakers yesterday that he'll keep them better informed.

It wasn't the first time. Just four months ago, Kimmitt appeared before a Senate committee and made the same promise to lawmakers who said the process was too secretive.

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Kimmitt, 58, was one of 10 Bush administration officials summoned before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday to explain the decision. He said the deal wouldn't go forward ``if we were not certain'' of the security of the ports.

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Last October, the Government Accountability Office said in a report that Treasury uses its position at the helm of CFIUS to tilt reviews in favor of investors at the expense of security concerns raised by the departments of Defense and Homeland Security.


More on Kimmitt:

The Marines and coalition officials say they doubt many civilians have been killed in Fallujah and promise that their rules of engagement limit civilian casualties. "My solution is change the channel," Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said earlier this week, after being asked about TV images of dead Iraqi civilians.

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