On June 17, 2007, Bush signed an executive order that enables the Departments of Treasury, Defense, and State to freeze the assets, including bank accounts, of any person designated as "threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq or undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people."
No persons, companies, or groups were named in Bush's order. However, civil libertarians have noted that the asset freeze order could apply to anyone, including an American citizen, who is seen as "undermining" economic reconstruction (i.e., opposition to the privatization of Iraq's oil industry) and political reform (i.e, opposition to the puppet government installed in Baghdad by Bush, Cheney, and their neocon advisers).
WMR is already facing the threat of a lawsuit from a U.S. defense contractor linked by Newsday, the Los Angeles Times, and other media outlets to Iraq's con-man politican, Ahmad Chalabi. Air America's Randi Rhodes was sued by CACI because she criticized the firm's role in abuse of Iraqi prisoners at locations like Abu Ghraib. Suggestions that the White House is not financially targeting Americans exercising their First Amendment rights should be seen through the lens of these events.
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