Here’s an interesting story out of New Jersey:

A Lebanese businessman [Gilbert Chagoury] based in Nigeria was stopped from boarding a private Jet last month in New Jersey following a disclosure that he was on the United States government expanded no-fly list.

So basically the guy was able to fly into the US but not out?

But Law enforcement authorities later obtained a “waiver” from Washington to permit him fly out of the country to France.

Wow, so how does one get this waiver?

The report stated that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) did not comment on why or when Chagoury was placed on the list or how he obtained a waiver to fly.

Maybe it helps that you have money and  you are an important person:

In 2009 Chagoury pledged one billion dollars to the Clinton Global Initiative through the Chagoury Group, according to the Global Initiative website. Chagoury also recently donated more than one million dollars to the Clinton Foundation, according to a list of donors made public by the foundation in December. Members of Chagoury’s family were contributors to the 2008 Presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton.

Although to be fair, Clinton’s spokesperson denied knowledge of the incident and would not have interfered had they know of it (or so they say).

Well, I guess that leaves us ‘average’ Lebanese to endure the virtual strip searches while others are “waived” along.

Its also important to note that this article was posted on an African news website. What do you get when you mix an African news website with a story about Lebanese? Anti-Lebanese comments:

segun alamu

Those Lebanese are bloody crook stealing big time in our country.

E. Maurice (Stuttgart Germany)

What business is he doing in Nigeria? maybe helped past military juntas loot our scarce resources.Nigeria has always been a safe haven for foreign crooks.EFCC should better investigate this Chagoury or whatever he calls himself.

victoria oyibo

This Chagoury of a man, since he could make donation to Ex-president clinton & Co how many has he done for Nigeria, where he is also stealing our oil with his accomplices in the North, Hello Mr. chagoury are we Nigerians safe ? Na Wa o this man why can’t you go back to your country, are you afraid the Hammas/Syrian terrorist group will deal with you

Gilbert and Rose Marie Chagoury

Update – May 23, 2010
US Apologizes to Billionaire Added to Terror No-fly List

The United States has issued a written apology to a jet-setting billionaire businessman with close ties to former President Bill Clinton whose name was added to the no-fly list in the wake of the attempted Christmas day bombing of an American passenger plane.