#6 New link to expanded story here: Annan Docs Handed Over to Congress
The documents were handed over after Parton was issued a subpoena by the House International Relations Committee on Friday night.
"I have directed investigators for the Committee to begin an immediate and careful examination of documents received from Mr. Parton," Rep. Henry Hyde, the committee's chairman, said in a statement. "I wish to extend to Mr. Parton my thanks for fully complying with the committee's subpoena. It is my hope and expectation that neither the United Nations nor the independent inquiry will attempt to sanction Mr. Parton for complying with a lawful subpoena."
After the subpoena was issued Friday night, Parton's attorney wrote to the United Nations and to IIC head Paul Volcker asking if they would instruct Parton to defy a Congressional subpoena. When both the United Nations and the Volcker committee refused to answer, Parton took action and, on Wednesday night, handed over the boxes of documents to a congressional committee. Those boxes contain records of Parton's investigation of Annan's actions and are believed to be damaging to the secretary-general.
Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, earlier was preparing subpoenas to force Parton and Duncan to testify. It was expected that those subpoenas could be issued as early as Thursday.
Congress has been trying to talk to Parton ever since his resignation two weeks ago. Last week, Volcker tried to block such efforts by insisting that Parton and Duncan, both Americans, had diplomatic immunity. Congressional sources told FOX News last week that they believe Volcker is terrified of the damage the investigators' testimony could do to his credibility. U.N. experts said the showdown between Volcker and Congress would be critical.
"It's also being pointed out that if Mr. Volcker is asserting that his team has U.N. diplomatic immunity, then he is admitting that his committee is not in fact independent but a part of the very organization it is supposed to be objectively investigating," said Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation.
Gardiner said it is vital for Parton and Duncan to be heard. "It's absolutely essential that these two individuals be allowed to testify before Congress to give the full picture. After all, this is a $30 million investigation being funded by the Iraqi people. They demand absolute accountability from this inquiry," Gardiner said.
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"Kofi Annan will be a very worried man," Fox News reported on Thursday, now that Congress has been given documents that may expose "damning information" about Annan's role in the oil-for-food scandal. Fox News, in an exclusive report, called it a "dramatic new phase in the oil-for-food scandal." Robert Parton, a senior investigator looking into the oil-for-food scandal, recently resigned from the commission headed by Paul Volcker, because he thought Volcker was being too soft on Annan. Fox News reported Thursday morning that Parton has just turned over his findings to congressional investigators, who have been eager to look at the evidence involving the U.N. secretary general.