Rep. Sherrod Brown speculates WH making secret foreign business deals

the congressman thinks Bushco is negotiating special business deals like the Dubai port deal in a secret White House negotiating committee called the "Committee of Foreign Investments in the United States".

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=275563&external=&newCookie=yes&userID=124067&external=&newCookie=yes&userID=130500

Brown, who likely will be the Democratic nominee challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Michael DeWine this year, expressed relief that officials with Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the Arab state of Dubai, announced plans to divest control over American ports.

But, while speaking here briefly during a sidewalk campaign stop Saturday before a handful of labor union members, Brown mentioned other matters that still give him concern.

“We don’t know how many other deals this secret committee has agreed to,” Brown said to a crowd of about 20 who withstood the afternoon chill. “I am concerned about what other deals they have done. What deals have they done with Burma? What deals have they done with China?”

“Secondly, the United States is about to negotiate an agreement with the nation of Malaysia to form trade agreements,” said Brown, who represents Ohio’s 13th Congressional District. “We know when we sign these trade agreements it opens up ports. We want to know for a fact if there are national security issues with these nations. When you sign a trade deal you are opening up the markets.”

calling for Bush to provide a list of all the trade deals authorized by CFIUS.

http://www.sherrodbrown.com/story/2006/3/10/145743/714

or was it Marianas? can't remember.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-02-21-abramoff-malaysia_x.htm

Ex-Malaysia PM: Abramoff was paid $1.2M for meeting
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said disgraced U.S. lobbyist Jack Abramoff was paid $1.2 million to organize a meeting between him and President Bush in 2002, but denied the money came from the Malaysian government.
Mahathir told reporters late Monday he was aware the payment was made to Abramoff, but he didn't know who made it.

"I understood some people paid a sum of money to lobbyists in America but I do not know who these people were and it was not the Malaysian government," Mahathir said.

Mahathir said that at the time he had been persuaded by the Heritage Foundation in Washington to meet with Bush because the conservative think tank believed he could help "influence (Bush) in some way regarding U.S. policies."

We are an underperforming asset and our creditors are demanding tangible assets to replace some of that paper we are printing. So, they are selling out our assets. I'm sure there are many Republicans who'll benefit from these sales, though.

recall the days of Carl Icahn and Ivan Boesky.

They're selling our assets and infrastructure to foreign countries, and we won't even know until after the deal is done.

America, as we know it today, is for sale. Profits to the elite.

They sweeten the pot by giving them a piece of the action.

CFIUS is responsible for reviewing & approving sales of US assets to foreign entities. That's not especially shady. I think Brown is veering into xenophobia here. Just cause a sale involves a foreign country doesn't automatically mean it's dangerous or harmful.

free trade." It's a huge issue with him - not xenophobia, but the way deals are done without any thought for human rights, environmental concerns, etc. He headed up the House fight against CAFTA.

And I'm glad he's raising them. "Fair trade rather than free trade" is a great slogan. It's good if he's making the distinction between good trade & the truly reckless trade this Administration embraces.

The issue he's talking about is whether any of these agreements have been signed with countries who have security problems with the US.

He's suggesting reviews be conducted related to US security and risk of crime or terrorism from any of these countries. Why invite trouble, better to filter out these countries.

And better to make the whole process transparent and accountable to the public.

revealing the list of deals they've negotiatied. Its not public, nor is any information about the deals they negotiate. In my book, that's shady.

If the deals aren't harmful, we'll know when they're made public.