How much of the Carlyle Groups money comes from federal government contracts, do we know?
BRIODY: We don’t know. That’s one of the difficult things about researching a private equity firm. They are under no obligation to reveal any of their financial information to the general public. So, they keep that information close to the vest. Most of the work done by Carlyle and its subsidiaries is in heavily government regulated industries — defense, aerospace, telecommunications, health care. So, it is obvious to see what their business plan is. They get former politicians on board who help them exploit these areas of government contracting. It is impossible to say what percentage of their revenues come from actual taxpayer funds. But I would venture to say that it is a large percentage. CCR: How much of United Defense do they own? BRIODY: They own half of the company. They used to own 100 percent of the company, but then they took it public. And now they own half. The Carlyle Group is a buyout firm. The first thing they need to do is raise money for funds. They go out and meet w
