It's not often you hear someone protesting that yes, truly, he really was an illicit paid agent of Saddam Hussein— honest. But that's where we've arrived in the cross-examination of cooperating government witness Samir Vincent.
Defense counsel Michael Kim has been arguing that during the period Vincent says he was consorting with Tongsun Park, from 1992-1996, especially the crucial year 1996, Vincent was not actually operating in the U.S. as an unregistered agent of Saddam's Iraq. Vincent, who last year pleaded guilty to doing exactly that from about 1993 to 2003 has been testifying that yes, during all that time he was, he truly was, a messenger for Saddam, an agent of Iraq.
This afternoon that produced exchanges such as:
Kim: "In fact you were not yet an agent of the Iraqi government?"
Vincent: "Yes I was."
The defense has been asking Vincent if in hope of a better plea bargain he isn't making up some aspects of his stories about secret meetings, Baghdad deals and envelopes, bags, and briefcases filled with cash. Today Kim asked Vincent "isn't it true" that your stories about Tongsun Park are "just fabricated to give you somebody to point a finger at?"
Vincent testified he has been telling the truth.
We're still some distance from a verdict, but I can tell you this — I sure couldn't make up some of the exchanges we've been hearing in this courtroom for the past week.
