Kirk Requests Another Investigation Into Freeman

I just spoke to Rep. Mark Kirk, who along with Rep. Steve Israel has requested another investigation into Charles Freeman's finances -- this time focusing on his role as a member of the advisory board of the Chinese state-owned oil company CNOOC. Asked if Freeman's appointment will stand, Kirk replied "I hope not." He suggested that the White House should "suspend him pending a real review."

Most troubling is the "lack of disclosure by Ambassador Freeman and the lack of review by the administration." Given that this is "one of the most important positions in the intelligence community," Kirk said he "would have expected a comprehensive review" by administration officials prior to making the appointment. Per Eli Lake's piece today in the Washington Times, we now know that the administration did no vetting at all of this pick, and worse was not even aware that it had been made until after Dennis Blair had offered Freeman the job. "They skipped all of those steps," Kirk says.

Perhaps most troubling, the tax forms for Freeman's tax-exempt Middle East Policy Council were submitted to the IRS with a post-it note covering the names of his donors. This may be legal from a tax perspective, but it is deeply problematic given the slightly higher bar set for public officials -- and the fact that Freeman has still yet to file his financial disclosure forms, meaning no one has any idea who precisely was bankrolling his think-tank...

[Transparency]

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