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March 27, 2008

Charity Official Accused of Arranging U.S. Legislators' Trip for Iraq Spy Agency

Three American legislators went to Iraq in 2002 on a trip arranged by a charity official, who was secretly paid by Saddam Hussein’s spy agency, according to federal prosecutors, the Associated Press reports.

Muthanna Al-Hanooti was a public-relations coordinator with Life for Relief and Development, a charity in Michigan that provides aid to people in the Middle East. He was allegedly paid with 2 million barrels of oil by the Iraqi government for arranging the trip. Mr. Al-Hanooti was arrested this week and pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, illegally purchasing Iraqi oil, and lying to authorities.

The three representatives were not named in the indictment and have not been charged with any offense. The Justice Department says it has “no information whatsoever” that the legislators knew that Hussein had paid for the trips.

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