The U.S. today raided the house of Ahmad Chalabi, a former ally and U.S. appointed member of the new Iraqi Governing Council. Chalabi was home. They were searching for 15 members of the Iraqi National Congress, which is Chalabi's party.

For years, Chalabi's INC received money from the Pentagon, in part for intelligence passed along by exiles about Saddam's purported weapons of mass destruction. Chalabi has been criticized since large stockpiles of such weapons were never found.

What were they searching for?

A senior coalition official said on condition of anonymity that an Iraqi judge issued warrants "for up to 15 people" on allegations of fraud, kidnapping and "associated matters." Several people were arrested, and Chalabi was not a suspect, he said....

U.S. officials declined to comment on the raid. Privately, however, American authorities have said Chalabi is interfering with a U.S. investigation into allegations that Saddam Hussein's regime skimmed billions of dollars in oil revenues during the U.N.-run oil-for-food program.

Chalabi was upset:

I am America's best friend in Iraq," Chalabi told a news conference. "If the (coalition) finds it necessary to direct an armed attack against my home, you can see the state of relations between the (coalition) and the Iraqi people."

More on Chalibi here.