Jane Harman Recorded On Wiretap Promising to Intervene for AIPAC, Say Sources

CQ Politics :

Rep. Jane Harman , the California Democrat with a longtime involvement in intelligence issues, was overheard on an NSA wiretap telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department reduce espionage-related charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel organization in Washington.

Harman was recorded saying she would "waddle into" the AIPAC case "if you think it'll make a difference," according to two former senior national security officials familiar with the NSA transcript.

Read the whole story: CQ Politics

Comments

[blimie]

Harmon is the 1 who drafted legislation that would spy on American citizens. I don't beleive it was passed, hopefully not, but it regarded almost any political meetings/organizing as domestic terrorism and could get you thrown in prison without any rights.

[SCLAW]

Nice photo of Jane:

http://stopmebeforeivoteagain.org/images/jane-harman.jpg

[SCLAW]

I wonder what Chas Freeman is thinking:

HE CAN HEAD THE AIPAC Security breach investigations--

[zius]

lobbies will destroy our country for their own interests ...

"In exchange for Harman’s help, the sources said, the suspected Israeli agent pledged to help lobby Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., then-House minority leader, to appoint Harman chair of the Intelligence Committee after the 2006 elections"

do they have the power to appoint people?.....this is disturbing

[SCLAW]

Finally Fox news gives a balanced analysis
on the espionage Is rael nexus a must see

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7545.htm

[skialethia]

I love that site...the unvarnished truth. I've seen the Fox report that disappeared from their site...we all know why.

[SCLAW]

I know--

wish they would replay it--yeah I know in my dreams

[BlueStateMan]

Da Joooooooooooooooooz.

[Freenation]

surprisingly Jane is sticking with her innocence drama...she should have either resigned by now or Pelosi should have forced her to resign...

astonishing.....

[totaldisbelief]

naw...let's let her stand on the hot plate and do the dancing chicken bit for awhile.

[SCLAW]

Why was a vetted statement purged--

O a k ivenstments owns a 25% interest in the H-post.

They have a nexus w/the IDF--
cause to why this story is buried?

[SCLAW]

This article places
Jane's actions in context:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7060/is_11_7/ai_n28529262/

[Palemoon]

One more thing I have to say on this subject. When the trials and hangings start, at the front of the line with Bush and Cheney, there better be all of the people actually performing the wiretaps. They were knowingly committing crimes against the country and knowingly obeying an illegal order. They should be swiftly made examples of.

[SCLAW]

Fox news actually
ahead of the curve on a related story:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7545.htm

[BlueStateMan]

Yeah right..... all of a SUDDEN "Fox" has credibility with you.

[Palemoon]

See? This is the very thing I have been fearing all along because of hard and fast and very lax rules on wiretapping instituted under Chancellor Bush.

The fact that ANYTHING that is overheard can then be used against someone to sway their opinion, essentially buy their vote, or otherwise extort them into whatever you want them to do. Now, whether Harman should be on trial along with the rest of the Bush administration remains to be seen. Obviously, she knowingly went along with it, but the fact her help was possibly coerced is the sticking point. We'd have to put her on a trial to deem whether she should stand trial for crimes against the country or not.

But you can bet this very thing was going on with the NSA's most recent wiretapping of another Congressperson. In doing this stuff, not only can common citizens come under the coercion of the wiretappers, but so can the politicians themselves. Anything and everything is now suspect. Is the reason Obama going on with protecting Bush and keeping all of his programs in place, is because someone, somewhere has some dirt on him?

[skialethia]

You ask a very good question. There will come a time, when his integrity will be on the line, and he won't be able to sit on the fence or stand with one foot on one side of the issue and the other foot over the line. Then the answer will become clearer.

[Luvial]

Is there a single member of COngress that has not been compromised? Why do you think the Democrats supported the war, the Patriot act, torture, financial bailouts, etc., etc. The only change is a Smirk changed to a grin.

[Palemoon]

BEST POST EVER!

[BlueStateMan]

2 alleged "spies" get canned from AIPAC in 2005... & this wiretap was recorded in 2006.

This "guy" told Harman that he'd lobby Pelosi on her behalf for a chair on some committee... which never happened for a "favor" that ALSO never happened.

Homeland Security just HAPPENS to get this UNIDENTIFIED "GUY" on tape with Harman who said NOTHING wrong.

All of a sudden GONZALES gets involved.. because he wanted COVER from Harman regarding the illegal wiretaps.

Now....

Don't get me wrong... I've been VERY VOCAL on these threads in my opposition to what Israel is doing in GAZA... I'm NO apologist for their behavior..

But THIS STINKS.

I'm frankly APPALLED at the number of "open minded" PROGRESSIVES on this thread who seem to find the tactics of BUSH'S DHS Department in SPYING on DEMOCRATIC members of CONGRESS "acceptible" ONLY when this subject is brought up.

[zius]

BLUE....i think it was an anti espionage operation....the whole thing sti nks....

[BlueStateMan]

Yep.

[skialethia]

Wiretapping stinks, yes, when you wiretap the citizens of this country it really stinks. However, what stinks even more is having a foreign lobbyist, Aip_c complicit with members of Congress in swaying policy, legislation and appointments that will be somehow favorable to Isra_l, that not only stinks...it's apalling!

Now whether your born yesterday or the day before...we all see how powerful this lobby is and it's about time we have a foreign policy for the Middle East INDEPENDENT OF ISRA_L!

Too many members of congress are subservient to Aip_c!

[BlueStateMan]

There are HUNDREDS of lobbyists representing HUNDREDS of nations... ALL of which contact HUNDREDS of people in our government.

GROW UP.

[ssg13565]

At the time of the disclosure of the wire tapping, people were concerned that the information could be used for political blackmail. Many people wondered what the administration had on the Democrats that would get them to support some of the worst Bush policies.

Is this revelation and fulfillment of some of our worst fears? Is there any rule of law left?

[take10]

Play the tapes! Let the American people hear for themselves what was actually said. Otherwise, this may be seen as just another smear campaign by the rethugs.

[mafina]

Get rid of her, she and Feinstein have been behind the Bush admin for 8 yrs.

[poster1122]

I can't get outraged by anyone trying to spy on us. We're the single most powerful force on the planet; when we sneeze, the world catches a cold. Thus, every country in its right mind should be trying to spy on us. The alternative is to get info from the US through the news outlets. Any intelligence director that lazy should be fired.

And the same goes for the US. President Obama should not be getting his briefings on our allies, not to mention our enemies, solely from CNN and the other networks. Hell, we've been known to spy on our NATO allies (and I'm sure they've done the same to us); that's just part of the game.

As for Harmon, assuming she's guilty of what's being accused (using her influence to get leniency for the two spies), that's unethical if done with the expectation of a quid pro quo. It may even rise to the level of corruption. But asking for leniency for two spies of an ally hardly rises to the level of treason. That's just over the top.

[Sentientbeing09]

Spying is fine. I get it. Spying by friends? Not so good. If they need information why dont they just ASK.

Spying is not the issue. Its the direct influence of US foriegn policy to the detriment of the US and the benefit of a foreign power that is the issue.