Did She Also Taint Launch Contract?

The saga of Darleen Druyun, the USAF official who took a job with Boeing while negotiating with the company on a $23 billion tanker deal, isn't over yet. Now, Lockheed Martin wants to talk to her about whether she might have steered Air Force launch contracts toward Boeing in 1998. The contracts were worth $1.88 billion.

Lockheed is suing Boeing, accusing its executives of hijacking proprietary data concerning the launch contract -- data Lockheed said was crucial to its bid. The Air Force investigated and ended up awarding many of those same launch contracts to Lockheed. Further, Boeing was frozen out of the launch business for a time. Boeing itself has so far escaped criminal charges, but two of its employees weren't so lucky.

Druyun, who's serving nine months in a federal prison for selling favors to Boeing in return for a high-paying executive position at the company, has already admitted giving the Chicago-based company the edge in four big contract competitions.

"We're pursuing discovery in the EELV [rocket] case to determine whether there is any evidence of favoritism or any other misconduct involving Boeing and Ms. Druyun regarding the EELV contract and other procurements," said Lockheed spokesman Jeffery Adams. He was quoted in the LA Times.

The judge in Lockheed's suit against Boeing agreed to let Lockheed depose Druyun. The federal judge said Lockheed attorneys could ask her about her dealings with Boeing since 1995. Boeing lawyers objected, however. The issue will be decided in a hearing next month.

But Boeing is already on the counter-offensive. Having accused Lockheed of blown the case out of proportion, Boeing says that's still the case. "Any attempt to inject Darleen Druyun into this case is a strategy to sensationalize Lockheed's claims, influence government decisions elsewhere and develop evidence to support Lockheed's bid protest," said Boeing spokesman Dan Beck.

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com, www.boeing.com, www.af.mil