Pat Robertson Slams Bush On Liberia

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/11/national/main562915.shtml

NORFOLK, Virginia, July 11, 2003

(CBS) Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson accused President Bush of “undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels” by asking Liberian President Charles Taylor, recently indicted for war crimes, to step down.

“How dare the president of the United States say to the duly elected president of another country, 'You've got to step down,'" Robertson said Monday on “The 700 Club,” broadcast from his Christian Broadcasting Network.

“It's one thing to say, we will give you money if you step down and we will give you troops if you step down, but just to order him to step down? He doesn't work for us.”

Robertson, a Bush supporter who has financial interests in Liberia, said he believes the State Department has “mismanaged the situation in nation after nation after nation” in Africa.

“So we're undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the country,” he said in the broadcast.

[wryter2000]

1. WTF????

“How dare the president of the United States say to the duly elected president of another country, 'You've got to step down,'" Robertson said Monday

Saddam Hussein was as duly elected as Bush.

[Initech]

2. It's been well known that Pat Robertson supports murderous dictators

This is definately no surprise.

[Poll_Blind]

3. Hugo Chavez, Pat. Pot. Kettle. Black. n/t

PB

[Orrex]

4. Robertson is right

Bush should have called for Taylor's assassination. Or maybe Bush should have gone into the criminally exploitive diamond trade with Taylor, instead.

That would've taught him a lesson.

[movonne]

5. Yes, but we should assassinate Chavez...

[Faygo Kid]

6. Robertson has gold investments there, big time. Check this out.

From columnist Colbert King, 2001, Washington Post. Judge for yourselves. Here is the full column: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A7124-2001Sep21

What, pray tell, does the Good Lord make of Pat Robertson's gold-mining venture in Liberia with Charles Taylor, international pariah and one of the most ruthless, greedy and terror-producing heads of state in all of sub-Saharan Africa?

What? He didn't know?

Well it probably slipped Robertson's mind, busy as he is in getting people to send in those checks, money orders and love offerings to support his cause. How the reverend found time to hook up with Taylor, I'll never know.

But in May 1999, Robertson, through Freedom Gold Limited, an offshore company registered in the Cayman Islands but based at CBN headquarters in Virginia Beach, signed an agreement with Taylor and key cabinet members allowing the for-profit Freedom Gold to explore and receive mining rights in southeastern Liberia, where gold is believed to be in the ground.

It's a great deal for Liberia, which is now an economic basket case thanks to the long civil war and Taylor's corruption. It's also good for Freedom Gold, which was formed by Robertson in 1998. Liberia -- and for all practical purposes we're talking Taylor -- gains 10 percent ownership of Freedom Gold.

As The Post's Douglas Farah reported in January, huge amounts of the country's funds have been siphoned off by a small group of Taylor's associates and relatives. Taylor "has his hand in everything and gets a cut of everything," a businessman told The Post. Other Liberians, probably Taylor's gang, are entitled to buy at least 15 percent of Freedom Gold's shares after the exploration period.

[warrens]

7. Damn, finding myself defending the Smirking Moron

But, uh, Charles Taylor made Saddam look benevolant. Wonder what papers are going to show up about Pat and Chuckie?

[LynneSin]

8. Pat Robertson has investments in Liberia Gold Mines

http://www.theperspective.org/patrobertson_taylor.html

But while he was calling into question the morality of others, Pat Robertson was actively engaged in a questionable, cutthroat gold-mining arrangement - for wealth - with Taylor, the infamous West African terrorist. And we suppose the good man of the cloth finds nothing inherently wrong dealing with a ruthless, corrupt dictator, who enriches himself while his people sink farther into squalor and destitution.

We now know that in April 1999, Charles Taylor and Pat Robertson signed a document labeled "Mineral Development Agreement between the Republic of Liberia and Freedom Gold Limited". By signing his agreement, Taylor was, in fact, assigning gold mining concession rights to Pat Robertson from an established businessman, Ken Ross II, whose Bocon Jideh gold-mining operation dates back to the Tolbert administration.

According to the GQ article, Pat Robertson has committed at least US$15 million of investment to Freedom Gold. The terms of contract call for Freedom Gold to spend about US$500,000 annually in investment and rental fees in Liberia. "The agreement gives Freedom Gold the right to mine, sell, export and explore minerals, with an additional 3 percent royalty rate to be paid to the government of Liberia."

[DanCa]

9. Ah fundies beatting up other fundies

It's the sport of kings.

[Totally Committed]

10. Robertson, it is said, is business partners with Taylor

in some diamond mines in Africa, so they are supposedly friends, as well. I guess it doesn't matter how you live your life, as long as you can claim to be "Christian". (I guess that goes for both of them, actually...)

TC

[Faygo Kid]

11. I think this is too evil to be dismissive.

This isn't just a question of claiming, "Christian," and moving on from there. This is a powerful hypocrite bestowing his "blessing" on a mass murderer, and Robertson deserves the condemnation of every decent person in the world for doing so. And yes, he deserves condemnation for plenty more, but not all acts are equal. This one is way bad.