WASHINGTON - June 7 - After the New York Times reported that investigators in Afghanistan and Washington D.C. believe that private Afghan security companies, with close connections to the Karzai government and family, may have bribed insurgents to attack American and NATO convoy lines in order to demonstrate their companies' value to the security of U.S. and NATO forces, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) released the following statement:

"The American people are paying to prop up a corrupt government that may be using our money to pay private companies to drum up business by paying the insurgents to attack our troops. Our troops are dying in Afghanistan, and now it turns out we may be funding their killers. Our continued presence in Afghanistan is detrimental to our security.

"In the coming weeks, Congress is expected to be asked to give another $33 billion for war efforts. Congress is having difficulty finding the funding to provide for the health and nutrition of the next generation of Americans, but we can find funding to prop up a corrupt government. I will be bringing this report to the personal attention of individual Members of Congress prior to the vote on any additional war funding. We need to bring the troops home now," said Kucinich.