Ladydawg posted an interesting question from the
Guess what diary today:
On Saturday, I interviewed Aziz al-Taee, Chairman of the Iraqi-American Council. He detailed a compelling body of evidence about the holocaust being waged against the Iraqi people.
Who is Aziz al-Taee?
JUMP!
Back in late March and April, 2003 Mr. al-Taee, a native Iraqi, was making the case for war,
in a variety of media:
Since the start of the war in Iraq, NBC 10 News has been airing stories from a unique perspective -- an Iraqi man living in Philadelphia. But now, NBC 10 has learned that Aziz Al-Taee has a criminal record and could be deported next year.
Al-Taee has also been interviewed in major newspapers, cable news operations and other public news outlets. Al-Taee told about how he had been in danger when he lived in Iraq and how concerned he is for his family who still lived under Saddam Hussein's thumb.
Unfortunately, Mr. Aziz is also a criminal:
Al-Taee pleaded guilty in the 1990s to selling empty plastic envelopes commonly used to package crack. He also pleaded guilty to buying stolen computers. He was sentenced to three years of probation, fined $3,000, and forced to forfeit $17,673 in profits.
He was arrested again in May 2001, on charges that the chain of electronics stores he owns in Philadelphia was selling counterfeit compact discs. A judge dismissed that case for lack of evidence on March 4. Al-Taee blamed the compact disc counterfeiting case on unscrupulous employees, who he said had acted without his approval.
I cannot find any updated info on this guy, or whether or not he was deported.
What about the Iraqi-American Council? from the NBC 10 link above:
some Arabs in America say that Al-Taee does not represent them. They claim the Iraqi-American Council is simply a Web site and a phone number designed to benefit Al-Taee.
This is the only site I can find identifying itself as IAC:. Its website appears dead - this address info is provided:
Iraqi American Council (IAC)
7263 Maple Place #210,
Annadale, VA 22003,
Tel: 800-416-8684
Fax: 877-803-1800
http://www.al-iraq.org
e-mail: iraq@al-iraq.org
This site appears dormant
I can find only a SourceWatch link to Philly news (is this a reputable paper?), so take this with a big grain of salt, he was supposedly Nick Berg's business partner
William Bunch, in his May 17, 2004, Philadelphia Daily News article "Berg Met with Shady Iraqi,"
link: writes that "Berg teamed up in Baghdad with an ex-Philadelphia man who led a controversial group of Iraqi expatriates encouraged by the U.S. government - even as he faced deportation for his role in Russian-emigre crime ring selling millions of vials used for crack. ... Aziz Kadoory Aziz, also known as Aziz Al-Taee, hooked up earlier this year with the 26-year-old West Chester man to start a small company called Shirikat Abraj Babil, or Babylon Towers Co., that would install, inspect and repair telecommunications and utility towers."
Here's Gannon's article on al-Taee He doesn't quote al-Taee, but rather lists Saddam's atrocities.
So, we have Gannon the unseemly propogandist of sham news organization interviewing criminal propagandist Al-Taee of sham Iraqi-making the case for war organization.
In light of the plans of OSP to pay "foreign" journalist to spread its propaganda, this seems worth a look.