Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) visited Sri Lanka in 2005 at the behest of a man arrested for offering a $1 million bribe to remove the Tamil Tigers designation as a terrorist organization, and for money laundering for the organization. Even while denying the charge, Davis admits that he was fully aware that the laundering group and the terrorist organization were related.
WASHINGTON -- Chicago congressman Danny Davis and an aide took a trip to Sri Lanka last year that was paid for by the Tamil Tigers, a group that the U.S. government has designated as a terrorist organization for its use of suicide bombers and child soldiers, law-enforcement sources said.
Davis' seven-day trip came under scrutiny this week following the arrests of 11 supporters of the organization on charges of participating in a broad conspiracy to aid the terrorist group through money laundering, arms procurement and bribery of U.S. officials.
The Tamil Tigers, a separatist group that has been fighting since 1983, seek an independent state for 3.2 million ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka, a tear-shaped island nation of 20 million off the southern tip of India. In addition to conventional guerrilla tactics, the group has used terrorist methods, including 200 suicide bombings, in a conflict that has claimed 64,000 lives. Though the violence between the government and the separatists has abated in the past several years, it recently surged, threatening renewed civil war.
Davis said he believed that the trip, from March 30 to April 5, 2005, was paid for by the Tamil federation, which in accordance with congressional ethics rules sent him a written statement of the travel expenses, more than $7,000 each for Davis and his aide, Daniel Cantrell. Davis said he knew that the group was "associated" with the Tamil Tigers but did not realize that the trip's costs were covered with funds controlled by the rebel group.
"I know who I got the trip from," Davis said. "I don't know if any clandestine group gave them money. All I know is what I saw and was told."
LankaWeb notes that, not unsurprisingly, the Tigers used the Davis visit for their own propaganda purposes.
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War On Terror
Comments (8)
Well of course he didn't kn... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Jim Addison | August 25, 2006 3:45 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Well of course he didn't know who was paying for his trip! This man is too doggone busy a-caucusing to pay attention to details like that:
"Congressman Davis is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Community Health Centers Caucus, the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, the Congressional Steel Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Congressional Art Caucus, the Congressional Cancer Caucus, the Congressional Children's Caucus, Congressional Heart and Stroke Caucus, the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus, the Congressional Iraq Fallen Heroes Caucus, the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, the Congressional Pakistani Caucus, the Rural Health Caucus, the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, and is Chair of the Congressional Postal Caucus and is a Regional Whip in the Democratic Caucus."
From his website at http://www.house.gov/davis/biography.htm
1. Posted by Jim Addison | August 25, 2006 3:45 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 25, 2006 03:45
2. Posted by hermie | August 25, 2006 7:46 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The perfect reason for Republicans to remain in the majority.
Democrats are all too willing to consort with known terrorists for a few dollars and a junket.
Davis is a long-time Dem pol, who has many years of experience in Congress, so he can't even fall back on the 'ignorance' excuse regarding the identity of the Tamil Tigers.
2. Posted by hermie | August 25, 2006 7:46 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 25, 2006 07:46
3. Posted by jainphx | August 25, 2006 9:39 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Culture of corruption anyone,you can't tell em without a score card.
3. Posted by jainphx | August 25, 2006 9:39 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 25, 2006 09:39
4. Posted by Gmac | August 25, 2006 10:07 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
What??? Is anyone really shocked at this?
All it does is confirm what eveyone already suspected about Democrats in general and the BCC specifically.
They support islamofachism by either tacitly denying there is a problem with or outright support for it.
*Note: Cynthia McKinney accepted campaign donations from Islamic organizations. No doubt the good congressman's financial statements will reveal interesting donations to his re-election from similar entities as well.
4. Posted by Gmac | August 25, 2006 10:07 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 25, 2006 10:07
5. Posted by langtry | August 25, 2006 10:18 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
As someone who lives in Danny Davis' congressional district, this is just more filler for the "Why is this jackass a congressman?" file. Fortunately for Rep. Davis, Chicago democrats pay no price for such perfidy. After all, Danny Davis was one of the sponsors for the "Petition for U.N. Observers in the 2004 Presidential Election".
5. Posted by langtry | August 25, 2006 10:18 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 25, 2006 10:18
6. Posted by Peter F. | August 25, 2006 12:13 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Davis must be hanging out with my representative: "Baghdad" Jim McDermott. Fun.
6. Posted by Peter F. | August 25, 2006 12:13 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 25, 2006 12:13
7. Posted by billy | August 25, 2006 4:33 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
republicans are the only terrorists real americans care about eradicating.
7. Posted by billy | August 25, 2006 4:33 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 25, 2006 16:33
8. Posted by Publicus | August 25, 2006 8:03 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
So, whadday think about those Tamil Tigers? Do you think they'll make the playoff? (This is a baseball blog, isn't it?)
8. Posted by Publicus | August 25, 2006 8:03 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on August 25, 2006 20:03