So much for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ending State’s recent stonewalling of the House oversight committee. Rice is testifying this morning about corruption in Iraq, a subject that the committee has been digging into for months. She’s just not saying much:
Is Rice aware of ex-corruption Judge Rahdi Hamza al-Radhi’s statement that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki issued “secret orders” to stop his investigations? “The questions you’re asking get into areas where there are concerns about exposure of sources.” She said that while “no one is more concerned” about corruption than the State Department, she isn’t “personally following every investigation.”
Well, asked Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA), did Maliki obstruct a corruption investigation of Maliki’s cousin, the ex-transportation minister, as Radhi testified? It turns out she “can’t comment.” While Rice said she would review the case — even though Waxman personally gave documents on Radhi’s charge to one of Rice’s subordinates — “nothing is to be gained by speaking prematurely.”
