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February 2, 2011

U.S. Lawmakers and Egyptian Officials Met 250+ Times in 2010 
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Newly released lobbying records show just how close the U.S. government
has been to the Mubarak regime. According to the Sunlight Foundation,
nearly 250 meetings between Egyptian officials and U.S. lawmakers and
their aides took place in the first seven months of 2010 alone. For
years, Mubarak has employed a team of Washington-based lobbyists,
including former Democratic Congressman Toby Moffett, former Republican
Congressman Bob Livingston and Democrat Tony Podesta, whose brother John
served as former President Bill Clinton's chief of staff. The Unites
States also has close ties to Mubarak's new vice president, Omar
Suleiman, Egypt's former intelligence chief. Suleiman played a key role
in the U.S. extraordinary rendition program. He also underwent training
in the 1980s at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School and Center at
Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Suleiman has been placed in charge of
reaching out to Egyptian opposition groups.



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