From New York Daily News:

Knuckle-feds' limo deal is a stretch

Thursday, June 8th, 2006

Even as they decided to cut New York's anti-terror funding by 40%, Homeland Security officials were being chauffeured around thanks to a $21.2 million contract awarded to a limousine company run by a twice-convicted felon.

The same federal agency that dissed Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and the NYPD's world-renowned counterterror efforts has smiled upon Christopher Baker and Shirlington Limousine & Transportation. Never mind that Baker has a criminal record that includes attempted robbery and car theft, as well as misdemeanor drug possession.

Past customers of Shirlington include Bowie State University. The school's football team was in Atlanta for an away game in 2002 when their dinner was interrupted by a cell phone announcing the Shirlington buses that brought them there had been repossessed. The team trooped into the parking lot and, sure enough, it was stranded.

One happier customer was Brent Wilkes, the defense contractor who bribed jailed Rep. Randy Cunningham (R-Calif.). Wilkes reportedly made extensive use of Shirlington limousines. A Shirlington lawyer has denied widespread reports that the company ferried hookers to the "hospitality suites" Wilkes maintained for Cunningham and a top CIA official, among others.

But, however much use Wilkes made of Shirlington, the company still teetered at the edge of financial ruin. Shirlington fell deep into debt and faced eviction from the Washington apartment that served as its official headquarters.

Then, in April 2004, Homeland Security awarded Shirlington a $3.8 million contract so its officials would not have to make their own way about Washington in taxis or, heaven forbid, public transportation. Shirlington was given a second, $21.2 million, contract a year later for "shuttle services and executive transportation support."

Subsequent news reports noted Shirlington was not the lowest bidder. A competing firm protested that Shirlington had been granted favored status as a company based in an impoverished neighborhood even though its headquarters was in a luxury apartment building.

Shirlington has insisted it got the contract because of "commitment to detail and customer service." Homeland Security has said the company offered "best value." This from the folks who placed the world-renowned NYPD counterterror effort at the bottom 15% of Homeland Security's funding "investments."

Homeland Security never looked into Baker's background. The agency has said it only runs such checks on the drivers, prompting House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) to observe, "[Osama] Bin Laden could own the company and you wouldn't check him out."

Homeland Security also apparently did not consult records at the federal Department of Transportation, which show that Shirlington's permit to conduct interstate commerce was "involuntarily revoked" from June to October of 2005. A DOT spokesman said yesterday that the company's Motor Vehicle Common Carrier Authority was suspended due to inadequate insurance.

But, in the eyes of the same agency that decides who gets how much counterterrorism funding, Shirlington was the best firm to drive around all its top appointees save the man in charge; Secretary Michael Chertoff's transportation is provided directly by the government.

The underlings eligible for Shirlington service include Tracy Henke, executive director of the Office of Grants and Training. Hers is the office that recommended cutting New York's anti-terror funding by 40%. She has suggested that the cornfields of the heartland need as much protection against terrorists as midtown Manhattan.

Yesterday, Henke and other department officials appeared in a closed session of the House Committee on Homeland Security. They sought to justify the funding cut even though they themselves rate the city No. 1 in terms of risk. They admitted they did not consult with Police Commissioner Kelly before rating the NYPD's counterterror effort at the bottom.

At 11:30 a.m. next Thursday, Homeland Security officials will be back before the committee, this time to discuss the company that drives them around. They will be asked to explain how they placed Shirlington at the top.

The looming question in this time of war is whether the Department of Homeland Security is competent to make any judgments at all.