Mediu told the U.S. officials he was upset by a call he received from a New York Times reporter, asking about past legal problems and possible corruption and asking to visit the airport the next day to see a munitions stockpile under ministry control, Withers said.
The airport also was the site of the AEY repackaging operation, which had been part of the U.S. investigation but was closed down by then.
Mediu begged Withers to help prevent a potentially damaging story. Withers said that Mediu, in an emotional state, had "outlandish" suggestions such as blocking the reporter's access and repackaging the munitions to hide their Chinese origin.
Withers said that he and the other U.S. officials present gave no sign that they approved of his ideas, suggesting only that Mediu prepare a rebuttal to the article once it appeared.
Mediu resigned in March after an explosion at a nearby munitions depot that killed 26 people. The Albanian government has stripped him of immunity from prosecution. He has been accused of corruption but denies it.
One embassy employee who was at the meeting saw things differently, which drew Waxman's attention.
Army Maj. Larry Harrison, a Defense Department aide in the embassy, said in an internal memo obtained by the committee that he believed the ambassador had approved of Mediu's decision that night to order the removal of Chinese markings from the munitions.
Harrison also charged in memos that embassy officials overruled his suggestions for providing information to Waxman's committee.
On the basis of Harrison's memos and his comments to the committee, Waxman wrote a pointed letter to Rice on June 23 citing evidence that Withers "approved removing evidence" that the Albanian ammunition was actually Chinese.
Waxman's letter, published on the committee's website the same day, seemed to implicate Withers and others at the embassy in AEY's scheme and was widely reported the next day.
Waxman's letter also criticized diplomats for what he considered an inadequate response to committee questions, saying he sought answers on many occasions.
Withers said he was blindsided by Waxman's public accusation, which he considered preposterous in light of the embassy's cooperation with criminal investigators.
Waxman's suspicion was fueled by the embassy's failure to mention the Nov. 19 meeting after the committee had asked about contacts with Albanian officials "regarding AEY's contract and activities."
