Halliburton Shrugs Off Bribe Probe

New questions about Halliburton (HAL Quote) keep bubbling to the surface.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a formal investigation of the company for possible violation of antibribery laws. The probe focuses on payments made years ago in Nigeria by Kellogg Brown & Root, a division that -- thanks to controversial contracts in Iraq -- currently generates the bulk of Halliburton's revenue.

Separately, a congressional watchdog is making fresh suggestions that Vice President Dick Cheney's office may have improperly favored Halliburton for multibillion-dollar oil projects in Iraq. Cheney spent five years as Halliburton's CEO before joining President Bush's campaign in 2000. ...