The Bush administration, stung by the public outcry
over the Dubai port deal, has launched a national security
investigation of another Dubai-owned company set to take over plants
in Georgia and Connecticut that make precision components used in
engines for military aircraft and tanks, The Washington Post reports on Thursday page ones. Excerpts:
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The administration notified congressional committees this week
that its secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United
States (CFIUS) is investigating the security implications of Dubai
International Capital's $2.2 billion acquisition of London-based
Doncasters Group Ltd., which has subsidiaries in the United States. It
is also investigating an Israeli company's plans to buy the Maryland
software security firm Sourcefire, which does business with Defense
Department agencies.
Administration officials are privately briefing leaders of half a
dozen House and Senate committees this week about the two planned
transactions, concerned that both deals could stir controversy in a
political climate that remains supercharged over the Dubai port deal.
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Republican and Democratic lawmakers angrily protested after
learning late last month that the administration had approved a $6.8
billion deal to allow a maritime company based in the United Arab
Emirates to take over significant operations at six U.S. ports without
a thorough investigation and without consulting members of Congress.
Last weekend, the Dubai maritime company agreed to a 45-day
investigation to stem the protest and allay concerns of a possible
breach of U.S. port security.
