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If there's an overcharge, like we think there is, we expect that money to be repaid,'' Mr. Bush said this afternoon as he and his chief spokesman sought to distance the White House from a continuing controversy over Iraq-related work being done by Halliburton, which was once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney. But it was clear that questions about the politically well-connected company may continue to nettle the White House. Asked whether Halliburton might be an albatross around this administration's neck, '' the president replied: I expect anybody doing business with the United States government to be transparent, and to give the taxpayers a good return on their money. But Pentagon officials have said the company did not appear to have profited from overcharges but rather may have initially paid a subcontractor too much. Halliburton has vigorously denied any overcharges, declaring in a statement that it welcomes a thorough review of any and all of our government contracts,'' and asserting that the Pentagon inquiry is routine in any event. The company has said, too, that fuel deliveries in a combat zone are inherently costly. Earlier today, the president's chief spokesman, Scott McClellan, tried to characterize Halliburton and its contracts as the bailiwick of the Pentagon, not the White House. We expect the Pentagon to look at this and get to the bottom of it,'' Mr. Rumsfeld also encountered the Halliburton issue, in a generally friendly question-answer session at a meeting today of the National Conference of State Legislatures in the capital. A Minnesota lawmaker said she was concerned about apparent overcharging by Halliburton and urged Mr. Rumsfeld replied that he was not intimately knowledgeable'' about the affair. We've got auditors that crawl all over these things,'' Mr. He emphasized that while there had been disagreements over charges, there had not yet been any actual overpayments. McClellan, when asked whether the White House was planning any changes to guard against similar problems, indicated that no new measures were contemplated. This was a matter, a contracting matter, that was decided at the Pentagon,'' Mr. There are some oversight measures that are in place to make sure that tax dollars are protected, to make sure that tax dollars are being spent appropriately. And from our standpoint, we expect those measures and procedures that are in place for oversight purposes to be followed,'' Mr. Democrats have had a field day with the Halliburton affair, asserting that the company is gouging taxpayers,'' as Representative Henry A. McClellan was asked today whether, in retrospect, it would have been better if Halliburton had never gotten any contracts. Support For a Potential Tax Break (October 28, 2003) $ . SET TO CEDE PART OF CONTROL OVER AID FOR IRAQ (October 20, 2003) $ Find more results for 40 Iraq and 41 Halliburton Company TOP INTERNATIONAL ARTICLES .
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