Companion Security — Was Morgenthaler just following orders?

Joseph Ryan writes in today’s Chicago Daily Herald that in the September 4, 2008, debate between U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, the Republican incumbent, and Democrat challenger, retired U.S. Army Col. Jill Morgenthaler, who served 2005-2007 as Illinois’ Homeland Security Advisor and during Operation Iraqi Freedom as “head of public affairs for the US-lead military coalition from February until September of 2004.” …

[Roskam] brought up a letter Morgenthaler penned as homeland security director endorsing a plan for a company to lease a military facility in western Illinois to train security guards for work in Iraq.

The company, Companion Security, had ties to convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko. Morgenthaler says she didn’t know that at the time.

The Des Plaines Democrat said after the debate that she thought the company was only run by retired police officers. She said she did minor research on the company before writing the letter at the urging of Blagojevich’s staff, and didn’t see a Rezko connection.

First of all, this was NOT a plan just “to train security guards for work in Iraq”. It was a plan to fly Iraqi trainees to Illinois to be trained as security guards for a power plant to be built at Chamchamal in Kurdish Iraq.

For those unfamiliar with the scenario, here’s a little RW/RBO background from February 27, 2008:

Details about Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)’s involvement regarding an Iraqi power plant contract and a related security contract negotiated by his patron, indicted political fixer Antoin “Tony” Rezko, and Rezko’s long-time friend—and former Iraqi Minister of Electricity—Aiham Alsammarae, can be found in Chicago newspaper articles dating from December 2006 and January and August 2007.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported in December 2006:

Federal authorities are investigating an Iraqi power plant deal involving Antoin “Tony” Rezko, a former top fund-raiser for Gov. Blagojevich charged with defrauding Illinois taxpayers.

Investigators want to talk to Iraq’s jailed former electricity minister, Aiham Alsammarae, about how Rezko landed the potentially lucrative contract, a source familiar with the probe told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Alsammarae, who holds dual U.S.-Iraqi citizenship and has a house in Oak Brook, helped Rezko get the deal, another source said.

Rezko and others in the venture were to own the plant and sell electricity back to the Iraqis, but the Iraqi government still was to pay a substantial portion of construction costs, that source added.

Tim Novak and Chris Fusco wrote August 7, 2007, in the Chicago Sun-Times:

Two years ago, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity gave a $50 million contract to a start-up security company owned by now-indicted businessman Tony Rezko and a onetime Chicago cop with a checkered financial past.

Within a month, an Iraqi leadership change left the deal in limbo.

Now the company, Companion Security, is working to revive its contract to train Iraqi power-plant guards in the United States.

Companion found support last summer from Gov. [Rod] Blagojevich, whose staff offered to let the company lease a military facility in western Illinois. Since then, Companion has been lobbying officials from Washington to Baghdad about its Iraqi deal, according to documents. [snip]

After the state found a proposed training site, Frawley went to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) [in August 2006]. [snip]

“The Senate staff had two meetings, one conference call, and sporadically e-mailed with representatives of Companion Security about their request for Sen. Obama to write a letter introducing the company to senior officials in the Iraqi government,” Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said. “That is not the kind of action Sen. Obama usually takes for individual companies, and our staff concluded on that basis to decline the requested assistance.”

LaBolt said Obama’s staff was unaware Companion had any ties to Rezko, who has raised campaign donations for Obama.

Companion beefed up its lobbying efforts in March, hiring a Washington attorney who has contacted the U.S. State and Commerce departments. Frawley wants U.S. officials to persuade the Iraqi government to honor the contract he signed on April 18, 2005, when Aiham Alsammarae, another friend of Rezko’s, ran Iraq’s electricity agency.

There’s a lot more to this story, so here’s where Morgenthaler comes in. Novak and Fusco wrote in their August 7, 2007, article:

As Frawley sought to revive the contract in spring 2006, Blagojevich’s chief of staff, John Harris, directed the state’s homeland security adviser, Jill Morgenthaler, to find “a military site for the training of Iraqi police forces,” Morgenthaler wrote in an April 26, 2006, e-mail. She wrote the letter in June 2006 offering the Savanna site.

Wonder whether Morgenthaler will claim that she was just following orders!?

Also see RBO’s related September 3, 2008, article Obama’s 2002 speech and Rezko’s power plant in Iraq, Rezko’s power plant bribe allegation, as well as all articles including information about Companion Security.