INVESTIGATION
OF DRUG CZAR CALLED FOR
WHITE
HOUSE DRUG STAFFER WHO FOUGHT $1.15 MILLION CONTRACT
BRIBERY
CALLS FOR
INVESTIGATION TO
HIGHEST LEVEL (Washington,
DC)—The head
of the White House Counterdrug Technology Center, Dr. Al Brandenstein,
who
fought against apparent bribery and blackmail in the White House Drug
Policy Office
involved in a no-bid contract arranged at a powerful U.S. Senator’s
request
(Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-CO), "deserves a heroic medal and award,
not being
pushed out of government," asserts the White House Drug Policy Office
former
spokesman, Robert Weiner.
Brandenstein
headed CTAC
since its inception in 1991, and Weiner served with him as Director of
Public
Affairs at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, of
which
CTAC is a part, from 1995-2001. "What Al did is courageous, the ideal
of what a
government employee should do when he sees wrongdoing involving $1.15
million
potential contract bribery and $400,000 possible blackmail. The
Administration
first tried to demote him, and then Al resigned with a record of
distinguished
federal service rather than succumb to the office’s vindictiveness over
his exposure
of likely illegality."
"Instead of what
the new
Drug Czar, John Walters, spitefully did to Dr. Brandenstein, Walters or
even
President Bush should give Al a medal for courage," Weiner said. "Even
more
important, the Department of Justice must investigate to the top,
including
Drug Czar Walters. It is not
enough that Walters’ Chief of Staff, Chris Marston, has now left the
office. As someone who worked at
ONDCP for great Drug Czars Lee Brown and Barry McCaffrey and the Bush
transition for over six years, I can tell you that clearly Walters, a
former
aide to earlier Drug Czar Bill Bennett, knew what was going on. ONDCP is an intimate place where senior
staff confers routinely and almost hourly with the Drug Czar, so he had
to
know.
"Because of the
political
nature of the allegations, the Justice investigation must be by
professional,
not political appointees," Weiner added.
According to
multiple press
reports, Senator Campbell, who headed the Senate Appropriations
subcommittee
funding ONDCP, in a signed letter that Campbell now claims was
robo-penned and
not authorized, pressed for a no-bid contract to a computer company
associated
with significant campaign contributions to his reelection campaign. The
company, Thinkstream, was to be paid $1.15 million to develop law
enforcement
computer communications systems.
In a May 15
memo, the ONDCP
chief of staff wrote to Brandenstein, "As soon as you can identify such
funds,
I will be delighted" to release $400,000 already committed to approved
projects
under Brandenstein.
Brandenstein
refused, was demoted,
and retired on March 28. Campbell
recently announced that he will not run for reelection.
IN POTENTIAL BRIBERY AND BLACKMAIL CASE
AND $400,000 BLACKMAIL
DESERVES HEROIC MEDAL, NOT PUSHING OUT OF GOVT.,
SAYS FORMER ONDCP SPOKESMAN WEINER;
INCLUDING DRUG CZAR, BY PROFESSIONAL JUSTICE ARM, NOT POLITICAL
APPOINTEES