In 1999, Pakistan was desperately trying to remove its U.S. military and economic sanctions. Rep. Ted Stevens (R-AK) “was the chairman of the conference committee that was considering allowing that change.” Stevens “made it clear that he wanted Pakistan to resolve a multimillion-dollar dispute with an Alaskan construction and engineering company, VECO, owned by his close friend Bill Allen”:
Stevens raised the issue of a contract dispute VECO was having with Pakistan over payment for VECO’s participation in construction of a pipeline. He wanted Pakistan to resolve it.
Some of the people involved maintain that Stevens said he would not pass the provision until VECO was taken care of, while others said his intervention was more benign.
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