Posted on 09/16/2011 7:50:55 AM PDT by KeyLargo
To Protect Obama Donor, White House Pressures General to Alter Testimony
Diane Ellis, Ed.
In January, the Federal Communications Commission granted a license to a satellite broadband company in Virginia called LightSquared to build tens of thousands of ground stations for a wireless network. However, the Pentagon has since raised concerns that the proposed wireless service could interfere with the military's GPS capabilities, which have not only replaced maps for millions of drivers, but also serve a crucial role in missile targeting and other defense-related tasks.
Gen. William Shelton, a four-star Air Force general who oversees U.S. Space Command was scheduled to give testimony on Aug. 3, in which he would air the military's concerns before a House Committee. However, before he could appear to testify, his testimony was leaked to LightSquared.
From there, the White House intervened and attempted to pressure General Shelton to alter his testimony, making it more favorable to LightSquared. The Daily Beast reports,
And the White House asked the general to alter the testimony to add two points: that the general supported the White House policy to add more broadband for commercial use; and that the Pentagon would try to resolve the questions around LightSquared with testing in just 90 days. Shelton chafed at the intervention, which seemed to soften the Pentagon’s position and might be viewed as helping the company as it tries to get the project launched, the officials said.
Now an important note about LightSquared. The majority owner of the company is an investment fund headed up by Democratic donor Philip Falcone. Between Falcone, his wife, and LightSquared CEO Sanjiy Ahuja, more than $90,000 has been given to Democrats since they applied for the license.
Chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) will be leading a panel to explore issues between the Pentagon and LightSquared today, during which Gen. Shelton will deliver his belated testimony.
Turner confirmed that Shelton told his committee that LightSquared had obtained his earlier prepared testimony and that the general will be asked about the pressure from the White House at Thursday’s hearing. “We are going to ask Gen. Shelton that the testimony we are receiving is unaltered and unbiased,” he said. “We have to make certain our national security is protected without financial influence or interference.”
It appears that Solyndra was not an isolated incident, but only the tip of the iceberg.
I agree. Watergate was nothing compared to this..
He is heading towards worse than James Buchanan award.
These kinds of scandals only threaten Republican Presidents and Republican Congressmen (Abramoff). How many people know that Bernard Madoff was a major fundraiser for Democrats? I’ll wait...
Everyone in the aviation community seems to be against Lightsquared’s plan.
“...The FAA assessment, according to The Wall Street Journal, also said LightSquared’s plan could hurt U.S. leadership in international aviation by eroding confidence in commitments made to ICAO to maintain the GPS system’s safety and availability. “Study after study has shown that LightSquared’s plan is simply ‘incompatible’ with GPS,” said AOPA’s Fuller.”
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/GAGroupsFileProtestsOverLightSquared_205143-1.html
Oh no, another Republican smear! This is worse than the time they just made up Monica’s dress and tried to... wait, what?
Thanks KeyLargo.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.