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Murray Questions Air Force Secretary Wynne at Committee Hearing

Watch the Q&A

Wednesday, March 12, 2008 

MURRAY: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Secretary Wynne, I do have many questions regarding the decision on the aerial refueling tanker, but before I get to that, I must raise a related item with you that I'm concerned about.

The week of the announcement of Airbus winning the tanker competition, there was a paper released by Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute extolling the benefits of the Airbus platform and indicating somehow that the Boeing plane was a lesser plane.

That was right after the decision was made. It was prior to Boeing being debriefed and prior to Congress getting debriefed. How do you defend the information leaks on this decision from the Air Force?

WYNNE: I cannot defend it. I have inquired and conducted an inquiry. I would say that I thought it was a travesty for anybody to talk to anybody before we talked to the winning and losing candidates.

MURRAY: Well, what it looked like from our end was that the Air Force was engaging in an ad campaign to fill the papers with misinformation that no one could refute because no one had been debriefed by this.

WYNNE: I actually apologized to the Boeing folks about this. It was sort of an unfair, certainly preemptive press article.

MURRAY: Do you believe a violation occurred?

WYNNE: Ma'am, I don't know that.

MURRAY:  Yes, I know you stated something similar to that yesterday before the House.

I mean, it leads me to ask how many other violations have occurred.  Who else was talked to?  What information was given out? Who had it?  Are there any other leaks?

WYNNE:  I'd have to say that we try very hard to hold a very tight hold.  I would say that Loren Thompson seems to have sources that are not willing to come forward and say that they were the one.

MURRAY:  So there are sources within the Air Force that were talking to...

WYNNE:  I have no idea.  I have no idea.

Full Transcript  

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In the News...

“Hot pursuit of answers on tanker decision” – Seattle Times

“Boeing says Airbus tanker will cost $30 billion more” – Tacoma News Tribune

“U.S. aerospace industrial base causes alarm” – Everett Herald

Video: Air Force Shafts Boeing - Lou Dobbs Tonight - CNN

Video: Increasing Controversey Over Air Force Contract - Lou Dobbs Tonight - CNN

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