As of 8pm, when I talked to committee staff, the State Department had neither delivered the documents mentioned here, nor indicated to the Senate Foreign Relations committee in any way whether or when or what they plan to do about the Democrats' narrowed document request. Getting sort of late, with less than 40 hours before Thursday's hearing is supposed to begin, and with Lugar having pushed for all materials to be received by last Friday. Late Update: This is truly incredible. Former Nigeria and Ferdinand Marcos lobbyist Matthew Freedman maintains private paid outside clients while working as a Special Advisor with a $110,000 a year salary for Bolton at State? From the this transcript of the Freedman interview with SFRC staff:

Mr. Freedman: I first met Mr. Bolton when I worked at the Agency for International Development.

Mr. McKeon: And what is your -- as a consultant to Mr. Bolton's office, what is your function?

Mr. Freedman: Currently?

Mr. McKeon: Correct.

Mr. Freedman: I provide strategic advice to him, as well as management and administrative issues.

Mr. McKeon: Is it a -- strategic advice about press or strategic advice about policy of the office? I don't understand.

Mr. Freedman: Advice on a variety of issues that Mr. Bolton is involved in regarding various bureaus, things of that nature.

Mr. McKeon: And then, when you're not a consultant to the Department, what is your employment?

Mr. Freedman: I have my own independent consulting firm.

Ms. O'Connell: What's the name of it?

Mr. Freedman: Global Impact.

Ms. O'Connell: And do you have clients now, while you're still in the employ of the State Department?

Mr. Freedman: Yes, I do.

Ms. O'Connell: So, you do both? So, are you a part-time consultant?

Mr. Freedman: Yes. I'm an intermittent part-time expert foreign-affairs consultant.

Ms. O'Connell: But when you're being paid by the State Department, you also have other clients, as well?

Mr. Freedman: Yes.

Ms. O'Connell: And who are some of those clients?

Mr. Freedman: I'm not prepared to go into some of my clients. Some of them have confidentiality agreements on non-releasing of their -- of their information.

Does anybody else not find that incredible? He's a US tax payer funded consultant 200 days of the year with a six figure government salary in a bureau dealing with the most sensitive intelligence and national security matters on the planet, for which he is provided a top security clearance, and he will not disclose his private outside current clients to the Congressional committee that has a mandate to vet his boss's fitness for a post?

Hello?

This Experian business report below filed around March 2005 says that Freedman is the president of Global Impact Inc. based in Alexandria Virgnia, that strangely enough, has a co-president, Renee Acosta, who is also in charge of a charity with the same name, Global Impact, that manages the two largest federal giving programs in the US government, including for the Department of Defense. Not a small client!

Name: GLOBAL IMPACT INC

Address: 201 N UNION ST
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314

Telephone: 703-299-XXXX

Experian File Number: E06431859

File Established: 11/1999

Industry: MGMT,PUBLIC RELATION

SIC:
8748 BUSINESS CONSULTING SERVICES, NEC

Years in Business: 5 - ACTUAL

Employees: 1 - 5

Business Type: CORPORATION

Owner Type: PRIVATELY HELD

Officers:

RENEE S. ACOSTA, PRESIDENT
H KENNETH FLEISHMAN, TREASURER
MATTHEW FREEDMAN, PRESIDENT

So Freedman runs the private, for-profit Global Impact, while maintaining a six figured top level security clearance post for Bolton, and while his co-president Ms. Acosta also runs the not-for-profit Global Impact, which manages "the two largest federal workplace giving campaigns" -- of the National Capital Area and the Department of Defense? So now I really wonder who Freedman's clients are -- perhaps some of the groups that want to get in on the federal giving of his co-president's same-named not-for-profit arm?

It sure sounds like Mr. Bolton and his retinue will be quite comfortable in the Oil-for-Food profit milieu...

Update II: So now the Senate Select Intelligence committee is interviewing Bolton chief of staff Frederick Fleitz, after being briefed on the NSA intercepts/identities Bolton requested? Interesting.

Late Update: Must-read piece from the Hill's Alex Bolton (no relation to John, we presume) about a little known, ramped up alternative intelligence shop in the State Department, whose director reported to Bolton:

The expansion of the bureau’s role, Democratic aides say, was intended to counteract skepticism expressed by State’s main intelligence analyst, the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), over evidence the Bush administration relied on to argue that Saddam Hussein possessed a viable weapons-of-mass-destruction program.

Several Democrats are comparing the augmentation of the Bureau of Verification and Compliance’s responsibility for assessing intelligence to efforts by Douglas Feith, President Bush’s undersecretary for defense for policy, to create an independent intelligence shop within the Defense Department.

Go read....

Wednesday Update: A contact who knows Freedman calls to say a bit more about him. Freedman managed Republicans Abroad, made it very successful operation. Managed the transition for Powell for State, AID, OPIC -- Kind of guy who would be useful to Bolton because he knows "how all the wiring works and all the secretaries." Has a "very big client base," firm in Old Town, etc. "Has a great saying 'Never lose your clearance.'" Which provides access to certain types of clients and contracts, and is apparently quite lucrative, the contact says.

Enough about Freedman. How many other top security clearance-cleared consultants to the State Department, Pentagon, NSC maintain private client lists? While working close to 200 days of year for State? Where's Paul Volcker when you need him?

Posted by Laura at May 10, 2005 09:54 PM