Kontogiannis Transcripts Sealed, follow up. Marcy's posted sections of the Kontogiannis docket, that explain the back and forth that led to a US court of appeal's decision late last week at the urging of the government to seal the transcripts surrounding Kontogiannis' guilty plea. The government inexplicably "invoked federal laws dealing with classified information," in filings arguing that the Kontogiannis' transcripts remain sealed. See yesterday's post for the background.

I'm speculating, but one topic that could conceivably be touched on in the transcripts that the government wants sealed to the degree that it is "invoking federal laws dealing with classified information" concerns what Kontogiannis was doing in Saudi Arabia with Cunningham, where they met with -- who was it? -- oh yeah, right -- then Crown Prince now King Abdullah, indeed when the private plane stopped in Athens to pick Kontogiannis up en route:

In another sign of their flourishing relationship, the following year, Kontogiannis accompanied Cunningham by private jet on a fact-finding mission to Saudi Arabia, Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Riverside, said Thursday.

In 2003, Cunningham made two trips to Saudi Arabia that were paid for by San Diego businessman and naturalized U.S. citizen Ziyad Abduljawad, according to congressional travel reports. Calvert said he accompanied Cunningham on one of those trips.

On their way to Saudi Arabia, they stopped in Athens and picked up Kontogiannis, Calvert said.

Calvert added that he hadn't known beforehand they would be picking up Kontogiannis, whom he had not before met. He hasn't seen Kontogiannis since, Calvert said, adding that Cunningham described the Greek native as a friend and a successful New York businessman.

And while Kontogiannis did participate in some of the meetings that he and Cunningham had with Saudi ministers, Calvert said that Kontogiannis "wasn't involved in any classified or high-level information as far as I can recall."

The whole Saudi element of the Cunningham case has never fully emerged. But considering the two San Diego-based Saudis who participated in the 9/11 attacks (the ones who rented rooms from an FBI informant), and San Diego-rep Cunningham's position at the time of the Saudi trips on the House intelligence committee which was part of a joint House/Senate Congressional committee investigating the 9/11 attacks, the issue is not irrelevant. The Saudis may have found it easy enough to buy off a congressman on the House intel committee, whose investigation they might have wanted to influence, and Cunningham was infinitely buy-offable. Or perhaps the Saudis wanted something else, just good will, some help acquiring some items on the US export control list, some friends on relevant House committees. As we know, Cunningham came back from his trip and soon thereafter issued an obviously Saudi PR firm generated statement praising Saudi Arabia's reforms, and got several campaign donations at a fundraiser organized by the sponsor of the trip. I was also told that the then chair of the House intel committee was also supposed to go on the trip but canceled at the last minute because of terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia.

Here are the remarks about Saudi Arabia Cunningham entered into the Congressional Record October 4, 2004, "Saudi Arabia and Reform in the Arab World," after his Saudi trips. As you can see, it is unlikely that Cunningham came up with this all by himself.

We don't know what exactly Cunningham "got" for putting that praise of Saudi "reforms" in the Congressional record -- but we do know that Cunningham had a literal bribe menu price list and that he in all likelihood did it for a fee, of some sort or another.

We know that Kontogiannis was a witness to Cunningham's meetings with the highest leadership of a foreign country with whom the US has the most complicated and unusual sort of arrangements, especially in the post-9/11 period. He was meeting with the guy that Cheney meets with in secrecy. We know the person who paid for the trip paid for the private plane to pick up Kontogiannis en route in Athens.

I could imagine that the USAs could have been convinced by their colleagues in government that what Kontogiannis had to say about this is sensitive - not least because it affects nat'l security, and foreign relations. And it might not be directly relevant to their purpose at hand.

More here.

Posted by Laura at July 1, 2007 07:42 AM