Pentagon inspector general to probe Air Force tanker lease

[UpInArms]

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0903/091803cdam2.htm

The Defense Department inspector general has notified Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., that his office is conducting a formal investigation in connection with the Air Force's proposal to lease Boeing 767 commercial jets for use as aerial refueling tankers.

"I have advised that my investigative staff has received information from another senator's staff relating to the Air Force lease proposal," wrote Joseph Schmitz, the Pentagon's top investigator, in a letter dated Monday to Warner. "This is to advise you that the determination has been made that sufficient credible information exists to warrant an investigation."

In late August, Schmitz received roughly 8,000 e-mail exchanges and internal communications between Boeing executives and administration officials from Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., an outspoken critic of the multibillion-dollar lease. McCain obtained roughly 6,000 of the documents from Boeing attorneys.

...more...

[Chef]

1. Boeing Ripoff

Dennis Hassert wrote a LTTE of the WP today implying that if we bought the planes we could't get them as fast as if we leased them (Huh?) That the only alternative was to buy them from Airbus (French, snail eating, terrorist loving), and that it is a jobs plan for America.

[Evil_Dewers]

2. Hastert...

is a wrasslin' coach who supposedly never cheated on his wife. That is his qualifications for Speaker. But Tom "Bugman" Delay is the real power behind the throne.

The lease will cost taxpayers how many more billions compared to a purchase?

Supporting Boeing and screwing Airebus is fine with me. But subsidizing Boeing with a lease reaks.

[david_vincent]

3. Boeing is one of the biggest recipients of public welfare

and they've been getting deals like this for a long, long time. Not that these sweetheart deals prevented them from laying off my friend and sending his job to Russia!

[Parche]

4. planes

There are tons of good used planes sitting in the desert they could
use also, yes they should buy them from Boeing and not lease them
that is obsurd, and a waste of money