[House Report 109-397]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



109th Congress 
 2d Session             HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                 Report
                                                                109-397
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     

 
   REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTING THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND 
 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PROVIDE TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CERTAIN 
  DOCUMENTS IN THEIR POSSESSION RELATING TO ANY ENTITY WITH WHICH THE 
 UNITED STATES HAS CONTRACTED FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS PURPOSES CONCERNING 
                                  IRAQ

                               __________

                             ADVERSE REPORT

                                 OF THE

                      COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                   ON

                              H. RES. 685

                             together with

                            DISSENTING VIEWS
                                     



                                     

   March 16, 2006.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed
                   HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
                       One Hundred Ninth Congress

                  DUNCAN HUNTER, California, Chairman
CURT WELDON, Pennsylvania            IKE SKELTON, Missouri
JOEL HEFLEY, Colorado                JOHN SPRATT, South Carolina
JIM SAXTON, New Jersey               SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas
JOHN M. McHUGH, New York             LANE EVANS, Illinois
TERRY EVERETT, Alabama               GENE TAYLOR, Mississippi
ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland         NEIL ABERCROMBIE, Hawaii
HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON,           MARTY MEEHAN, Massachusetts
    California                       SILVESTRE REYES, Texas
MAC THORNBERRY, Texas                VIC SNYDER, Arkansas
JOHN N. HOSTETTLER, Indiana          ADAM SMITH, Washington
WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina      LORETTA SANCHEZ, California
JIM RYUN, Kansas                     MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina
JIM GIBBONS, Nevada                  ELLEN O. TAUSCHER, California
ROBIN HAYES, North Carolina          ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania
KEN CALVERT, California              ROBERT ANDREWS, New Jersey
ROB SIMMONS, Connecticut             SUSAN A. DAVIS, California
JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia               JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island
W. TODD AKIN, Missouri               STEVE ISRAEL, New York
J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia            RICK LARSEN, Washington
JEFF MILLER, Florida                 JIM COOPER, Tennessee
JOE WILSON, South Carolina           JIM MARSHALL, Georgia
FRANK A. LoBIONDO, New Jersey        KENDRICK B. MEEK, Florida
JEB BRADLEY, New Hampshire           MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam
MICHAEL TURNER, Ohio                 TIM RYAN, Ohio
JOHN KLINE, Minnesota                MARK UDALL, Colorado
CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan          G.K. BUTTERFIELD, North Carolina
MIKE ROGERS, Alabama                 CYNTHIA McKINNEY, Georgia
TRENT FRANKS, Arizona                DAN BOREN, Oklahoma
BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania
THELMA DRAKE, Virginia
JOE SCHWARZ, Michigan
CATHY McMORRIS, Washington
MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas
GEOFF DAVIS, Kentucky
                   Robert L. Simmons, Staff Director

                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

Purpose and Summary..............................................     1
Background.......................................................     2
Executive Communication..........................................     3
Legislative History..............................................     3
Committee Position...............................................     4
Committee Cost Estimate..........................................     4
Oversight Findings...............................................     4
Constitutional Authority Statement...............................     4
Record Vote......................................................     4
Dissenting Views of Neil Abercrombie.............................     6
109th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     109-397

======================================================================


   REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTING THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND 
 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PROVIDE TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CERTAIN 
  DOCUMENTS IN THEIR POSSESSION RELATING TO ANY ENTITY WITH WHICH THE 
 UNITED STATES HAS CONTRACTED FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS PURPOSES CONCERNING 
                                  IRAQ

                                _______
                                

   March 16, 2006.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

    Mr. Hunter, from the Committee on Armed Services, submitted the 
                               following

                             ADVERSE REPORT

                             together with

                            DISSENTING VIEWS

                       [To accompany H. Res. 685]

    The Committee on Armed Services, to whom was referred the 
resolution (H. Res. 685) requesting the President and directing 
the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense provide to the 
House of Representatives certain documents in their possession 
relating to any entity with which the United States has 
contracted for public relations purposes concerning Iraq, 
having considered the same, report unfavorably thereon without 
amendment and recommend that the resolution not be agreed to.

                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    House Resolution 685, introduced on February 15, 2006, by 
Representative Dennis Kucinich, requests the President and 
directs the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to 
transmit to the House of Representatives information in the 
possession of the President, the Secretary of Defense or the 
Secretary of State relating to ``any entity (including the 
Rendon Group and the Lincoln Group) with which the United 
States has entered into a contract for public relations 
purposes concerning Iraq insofar as such documents related to 
such contract.'' The resolution requests relevant documents 
regarding three issues: (1) communications between United 
States government officials and any contractor relating to the 
contract; (2) any proposed or realized public relations work by 
any such contractor for the United States pursuant to the 
contract; or (3) the business relationship arising from such 
contract between the United States and any such contractor, 
i.e. billing statements.
    Clause 7 of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives provides for a committee to report on a 
qualifying resolution of inquiry, such as H. Res. 685, within 
14 legislative days or a privileged motion to discharge the 
committee is in order. H. Res. 685 was referred to the 
Committee on Armed Services on February 15, 2006.
    Under the rules and precedents of the House, a resolution 
of inquiry is one of the means by which the House may request 
information from the head of one of the executive departments. 
It is a simple resolution making a demand of the head of an 
executive department to furnish the House of Representatives 
with specific information in the possession of the executive 
branch. It is not used to request opinions or to require an 
investigation on a subject.

                               BACKGROUND

    On November 30, 2005, the Los Angeles Times published an 
article which alleged that the U.S. military in Iraq paid Iraqi 
newspapers to publish dozens of articles written by Americans 
but presented to the Iraqi press as news accounts written by 
independent journalists. The Times story stated that the 
articles were written by U.S. military ``information 
operations'' personnel and were translated into Arabic and 
placed in Baghdad newspapers with the assistance of at least 
one defense contractor, identified as the Lincoln Group. 
According to the report, ``dozens'' of these types of articles 
were published.
    On December 2, 2005, the U.S. command in Iraq acknowledged 
that ``we have offered articles for publication to Iraqi 
newspapers and in some cases articles have been accepted and 
published as a function of buying advertising and opinion/
editorial space, as is customary in Iraq.'' On December 8, 
2005, General George W. Casey, Jr., the commander of the Multi-
National Force Iraq, appointed Rear Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk 
to review the allegations. On January 11, 2006, the Department 
of Defense announced that the Van Buskirk investigation was 
nearly complete. On February 17, 2006, Secretary of Defense 
Donald H. Rumsfeld stated during a television interview that 
the U.S. military had stopped paying Iraqi newspapers to 
publish pro-American articles. On February 21, 2006, Secretary 
Rumsfeld indicated during a press conference that he had 
misspoken during the television interview. He clarified his 
remarks to indicate that he did not have any knowledge as to 
whether or not the payments had stopped and reiterated that the 
program was under review.
    In a letter dated today, March 13, 2006, Deputy Secretary 
of Defense Gordon England confirmed that the Department has 
several ongoing reviews regarding public relations contracts in 
Iraq. In the letter he indicated that the Department of Defense 
Inspector General is reviewing activities related to the 
specific issues raised by H. Res. 685 and confirmed that 
General Casey's review of the Lincoln Group contract ``is 
nearing completion.'' Secretary England indicated that the 
Department of Defense will fully brief the committee on these 
issues at the conclusion of the ongoing investigations.
    In light of the ongoing investigations and the willingness 
of the Department to fully cooperate with the committee, the 
committee concluded that transmittal of the materials 
identified in H. Res. 685 was not necessary at this time. 
Therefore, the committee ordered the resolution to be reported 
adversely.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION

                             Department of Defense,
                 Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense,
                                    Washington, DC, March 13, 2006.
Hon. Duncan Hunter,
Chairman, Committee on Armed Services,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for the opportunity to comment 
on House Resolution 685 regarding public relations contracts in 
Iraq.
    The Department fully agrees with your assessment that 
truthful and transparent interaction with the press is vital to 
the United States' success in the ongoing war on terrorism. The 
United States faces a determined enemy that attempts to 
manipulate the media, often with the purpose of further 
endangering U.S. forces. Our challenge is to aggressively 
provide information to the public to both inform them and to 
counter disinformation.
    The Department has several ongoing and pending reviews. In 
response to requests from members of Congress, the Department 
of Defense Inspector General is reviewing activities related to 
the exact issues raised in the resolution. Those reviews are in 
progress, and the Department is prepared to brief appropriate 
committees of Congress when those reviews are complete.
    Additionally, the Commander, Multi-National Forces-Iraq, 
ordered a review of the Lincoln Group Contract in late 2005 to 
address questions as to the propriety and efficacy of those 
programs. The review is nearing completion, and the Department 
is prepared to brief appropriate committees of Congress when it 
is completed.
    One of the eight ongoing studies from the 2006 Quadrennial 
Defense Review is focused on this issue and is intended to 
ensure that DoD organization, training, and doctrine are 
appropriate to the challenge. The Department must have the most 
modern tools and authorities to inform the public and counter 
the enemy's disinformation in a manner that upholds our own 
standards of truthfulness and transparency. Again, the 
Department would be pleased to offer briefings to concerned 
members and staff to acquaint them with the range of issues and 
challenges.
            Sincerely,
                                            Gordon England,
                                       Deputy Secretary of Defense.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    As noted above, H. Res. 685 was introduced on February 15, 
2006, and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
    On March 14, 2006, the Committee on Armed Services held a 
markup session to consider H. Res. 685. The committee reported 
adversely the resolution by a record vote of 31 ayes to 19 
noes, a quorum being present.

                           COMMITTEE POSITION

    On March 14, 2006, the Committee on Armed Services met in 
open session and reported adversely the resolution H. Res. 685 
to the House by a record vote of 31 ayes to 19 noes, a quorum 
being present.

                        COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

    Pursuant to clause 3(d) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the committee estimates the costs of 
implementing the resolution would be minimal. The Congressional 
Budget Office did not provide a cost estimate for the 
resolution.

                           OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    With respect to clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the committee reports that the 
findings and recommendations of the committee, based on 
oversight activities pursuant to clause 2(b)(1) of rule X, are 
incorporated in the descriptive portions of this report.
    With respect to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives and section 308(a)(1) of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this legislation does not 
include any new spending or credit authority, nor does it 
provide for any increase or decrease in tax revenues or 
expenditures.
    With respect to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, performance goals and objectives 
can not be explained, because the resolution does not require 
any new funding.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the committee finds that the rule 
does not apply because H. Res. 685 is not a bill or joint 
resolution that may be enacted into law.

                              RECORD VOTE

    In accordance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, record and voice votes were taken 
with respect to the committee's consideration of H. Res. 685.



            DISSENTING VIEWS OF CONGRESSMAN NEIL ABERCROMBIE

    I was sincerely disappointed with the committee's 
recommendation to unfavorably report House Resolution 685 to 
the full House. I feel that Mr. Kucinich's resolution was a 
straightforward request for information from the President, 
Secretary of State, and Secretary of Defense regarding 
contracts entered into by the United States for public 
relations services. I supported this resolution because 
ensuring the effective use of taxpayer dollars is a critical 
responsibility of Congress and because Congressman Kucinich 
originally asked for these documents in December of 2003 yet 
has received no reply from the Department of Defense.
    It could well turn out that the activities Mr. Kucinich 
seeks information on are entirely appropriate, legal, and 
effective. I welcome a debate on that very issue. However, the 
mere possibility that this program is on track does not obviate 
Congress's oversight responsibilities regarding the Department 
of Defense.
    Congressman Kucinich requested the information outlined in 
the resolution from the Secretary of Defense more than two 
years ago and has not received any information in return. To 
this member, the DOD's reluctance to provide this information 
constitutes either a deliberate attempt to hide the facts or a 
blatant disregard for Congress's oversight responsibilities. 
Either way, the DOD's behavior to date warrants additional 
investigations by this committee into these public relations 
programs, and I welcome the Chairman's commitment to hold 
hearings in the near future.
    The letter from Deputy Secretary England presented by 
Chairman Hunter during the hearing, while good news, does not 
answer the specific request Mr. Kucinich makes in the 
resolution. Instead, it simply offers ``briefings'' on internal 
``reviews'' being conducted by the DOD Inspector General and 
Commanders in Iraq. Clearly, a briefing on a review is not the 
same thing as actually getting access to the documents 
requested by Congressman Kucinich. Briefings have some utility, 
but I do not believe they are a substitute for the committee 
doing its own serious investigatory work.
    I look forward to working with the Chairman to look into 
this important issue in the future.

                                                   Neil Abercrombie

                                  
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