Gene Taylor Questions Gates on Afghan Corruption, Narcotics

The New York Times - Obama Aides Pressed on Afghan Graft, Al Qaeda

In a second hearing, Representative Gene Taylor, also a Democrat, questioned how the administration could be serious about tackling corruption and drugs in Afghanistan without addressing the alleged role of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president's brother, in the drug trade.

"I'm just not going to talk about that in open session. We are dealing with a sovereign government," Gates said.

Taylor insisted, "Someone from the State Department admitted before this committee that it was true."

Gates responded: "Well, we have problems with him. There's no question about it."

"We are putting tens of billions of dollars into Afghanistan, and too much of it is ending up with sticky fingers along the way," added Gates, a former CIA director.

The New York Times reported in October that Ahmed Wali Karzai received regular payments from the CIA. The agency would neither confirm nor deny the payments.

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