FBI Whistleblower: Hastert, Burton, Blunt, Other Members of Congress 'Bribed, Blackmailed'

Breaking Down the Under-Oath Disclosures of the Formerly-Gagged Sibel Edmonds...

It has now been over a week since the video tape and transcript from the remarkable 8/8/09 deposition of former FBI translator-turned-whistleblower Sibel Edmonds was publicly released. Previously, the Bush Administration invoked the so-called "state secrets privilege" in order to gag Edmonds, in attempting to keep such information from becoming public.

The under-oath, detailed allegations include bribery, blackmail, espionage and infiltration of the U.S. government of, and by current and former members of the U.S. Congress, high-ranking State and Defense Department officials and agents of the government of Turkey. The broad criminal conspiracy is said to have resulted in, among other things, the sale of nuclear weapons technology to black market interests including Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, Libya and others.

Even as many of these allegations had been previously corroborated to varying extents, by a number of official government reports, documents and independent media outlets (largely overseas), not a single major mainstream media outlet in the U.S. has picked up on Edmonds' startling claims since her deposition has been made fully available.

Granted, last week was a busy news week, with the death of Ted Kennedy, the release of the CIA Inspector General's report on torture, and the announcement that Michael Jackson's death was ruled a homicide. And, it's true, a 4-hour deposition and/or 241-page transcript [PDF] is a lot of material to review, particularly given the wide scope of the charges being made here. Still, given the serious national security issues at stake, said to have the been among the most important matters of the past 8 years, one would think someone in the corporate MSM might have taken the time to go through the material, and report on it. Particularly as Edmonds' claims have previously been found "credible" "serious" and "warrant[ing] a thorough and careful review," by the DoJ Inspector General, and confirmed as such, on several occasions, by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and many many others.

So for the benefit of the U.S. media, and other readers, who may find it helpful for this large body of newly-available information to be culled down into more digestible pieces, I will attempt to break down the deposition, a bit, into some of its subject matter-based component parts. I will try to go through the major disclosures from the deposition, one-by-one, in a series of pieces which might help others to further report and/or investigate these breathtaking disclosures from a former FBI official who, following 9/11, listened to and translated wiretap recordings made from 1996 through 2002, in the FBI's counterintelligence and counterterrorism departments, under top-secret clearance.

In this first break-down article, we'll look at the answers given by Edmonds during her deposition in regard to bribery and blackmail of current and former members of the U.S. Congress, including Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Bob Livingston (R-LA), Dan Burton (R-IN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Stephen Solarz (D-NY), Tom Lantos (D-CA, deceased) and an unnamed, currently-serving, married Democratic Congresswoman said to have been video-taped in a Lesbian affair by Turkish agents for blackmail purposes.

In further breakdown articles, we'll look at her disclosures concerning top State and Defense Department officials including Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz and, perhaps most notably, the former Deputy Undersecretary of State, Marc Grossman, the third-highest ranking official in the State Department. Also, details on the theft of nuclear weapons technology; disclosures on Valerie Plame Wilson's CIA front company Brewster-Jennings; items related to U.S. knowledge of 9/11 and al-Qaeda prior to September 11, 2001; infiltration of the FBI translation department and more.

Though Edmonds was careful to not "discuss the intelligence gathering method by the FBI," she notes in her deposition that her claims are "Based on documented and provable, tracked files and based on...100 percent, documented facts."

Among the specific charges she levels against current and former U.S. Congress Members in the deposition:

Dennis Hastert: "[S]everal categories. The acceptance of large sums of bribery in forms of cash or laundered cash ... to make it look legal for his campaigns, and also for his personal use, in order to do certain favors ... make certain things happen for foreign entities and foreign governments' interests, Turkish government's interest and Turkish business entities' interests. ... other activities, too, including being blackmailed for various reasons. ... he used the townhouse that was not his residence for certain not very morally accepted activities. ... foreign entities knew about this, in fact, they sometimes participated in some of those not maybe morally well activities in that particular townhouse that was supposed to be an office, not a house, residence at certain hours, certain days, evenings of the week."

Stephen Solarz: "[A]s lobbyist ... acted as conduit to deliver or launder contribution and other briberies to certain members of Congress, but also in pressuring outside Congress, and including blackmail, in certain members of Congress."

Bob Livingston: "Until 1999 ... not very legal activities on behalf of foreign interests and entities, and after 1999 acting as a conduit to, again, further foreign interests, both overtly and covertly as a lobbyist, but also as an operative."

Tom Lantos: "[N]ot only ... bribe[ry], but also ... disclosing highest level protected U.S. intelligence and weapons technology information both to Israel and to Turkey. ... other very serious criminal conduct."

Unnamed Congresswoman: (Though not identified as such during the deposition, Edmonds has since confirmed her to be a Democrat) "[T]his Congresswoman's married with children, grown children, but she is bisexual. ... So they have sent Turkish female agents, and that Turkish female agents work for Turkish government, and have sexual relationship with this Congresswoman in her townhouse ... and the entire episodes of their sexual conduct was being filmed because the entire house, this Congressional woman's house was bugged. ... to be used for certain things that they wanted to request ... I don't know if she did anything illegal afterward. ... the Turkish entities, wanted both congressional related favoritism from her, but also her husband was in a high position in the area in the state she was elected from, and these Turkish entities ran certain illegal operations, and they wanted her husband's help. But I don't know if she provided them with those."

Roy Blunt: "[T]he recipient of both legally and illegally raised donations, campaign donations from ...Turkish entities."

Dan Burton: (And others) "[E]xtremely illegal activities against the United States citizens who were involved in [covert] operations that were ... against ... foreign government[s] and foreign entities against the United States' interests."

Hastert, Livingston and Solarz, as Edmonds notes in her deposition, would all go on to become highly-paid lobbyist for Turkey and/or Turkish public interest groups after they left the U.S. Congress.

* * *

The startling key exchanges relating specifically to criminal corruption by members of the U.S. Congress, from the 8/8/09 Sibel Edmonds deposition in the Schmidt v. Krikorian case, currently pending before the Ohio Election Commission, are now excerpted here.

The full deposition transcript is here [PDF], and more details, including the complete video-tape of the entire deposition, can be seen in our original coverage of the deposition's release.

Follow Brad Friedman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheBradBlog

Comments

[axoaxo]

Had to google her after reading this. A couple of interesting sites are:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibel_Edmonds


http://justacitizen.com/

[axoaxo]

All I can say is wow!

[LizzyR]

The fact that the MSM is not so much as uttering a word about this speaks volumes as to what our corporate owned "news" allows the public to know. It seems completely plausible that the government/media have covered up the truth (whatever it happens to be) about 9/11 and related issues. Regardless of which version of the conspiracy theory you subscribe to, we have clearly been misled with the "official" version of one of our countries biggest tragedies. Kudos to HP for at least bringing this up. I would love to see more coverage. Thanks.

[markar402]

this is too hot for even Rachel Maddow to handle. After all, she does work for GE.

[Don Necessary]

Brad, do you remember me talking to you in St. Louis about my e-mail to Mr. Hastert the day he resigned?
Super Ironic............

[politicky]

Thank you Brad!

[louisamast]

What makes you think that the heads of MSM are not blackmailed?!
Why is it that the most press free nation has high percentage of her population uninformed or misinformed?

[machivellianX]

Brad, the reason I think that the mainstream media refuses to let the floodgates open regarding Sibel Edmonds is the tidbits about Bin Laden. That alone is enough to keep on ignoring this huge case.

Thanks for your efforts though. I usually go read your stuff when I want the unfiltered truth. It's a shame you are one of the few that is doing "real" journalism these days. Kudos for getting this into huffpost, but this needs to be on the front page not buried.

[gerontion72]

The story of the decade, and where are the mainstream media?? Nowhere.

Turn out the lights: This party's over.

Thanks, Brad, for doing some real journalism. And thanks, Sibel, especially, for your courage. If only there were more of both of you where it counts, in positions of power.

[Neaguy]

This appears to be the biggest story in quite some time. Thanks, for covering it. I would think Amy Goodman will eventually get to this.

[Kahoneez]

When Black Water Pres.Prince is accused in TESTIMONY that he had killed not only Muslims bcs of his "christian crusade"ex employees saying he wanted to kill Muslims for the lord , he's accused of having employees at Black Water killed , in addition to testimony charging gun smuggling , drugs and under aged prostitutes ....... ... CNN talk about HAZINGS .

When Sibel Edmonds testifies to massive bribery , blackmail , illegal wire taps , selling technology ....... CNN talks about Czar who signed 9 /11 Truth Investigation .

And no shortage of missing Caucasian Girls or wild fires to distract from Black Water Employees TESTIFYING before court , but is it really happening Wolf Blitzer hasn't said a thiiiiinnnnggggg .

When former Congress Women Cynthia McKinney is and several others , including Nobel Winner at sea and imprisoned by Israel for several days - ..........CNN talk about Michael Vick , ya that's the ticket , one of those in depth , groovy discussions, to play on peoples emotions .

Are ya seeing the F'N pattern of misinformation , obfuscation, lying by omission , which only an idiot doesn't think that Main stream Media is just as corrupt , just as misleading as any crooked politician and are no more Watch Dogs , than road kill .

Van Jones , you did your job....for the media .

[louisamast]

Welcome to Controlled Network News!

[morgan1]

The silence of all "public" media speaks volumes. This compromise of the freedom of press was begun after Nixon was forced to resign and the war in Vietnam was brought to an end by open revolt of American citizens. Now the only truth there is, is "their' truth and that is all that will ever be released. All else will be ignored or stopped.

[JosephConrad]

Sibel Edmonds' disclosures reveal a single pofoundly obvious Americans refuse to accept. The 85% of American citizens who are 'white' have permitted, aided and abetted the destruction of this nation.

As mindless members of a demented 'Old Boy Network', they've sat by oblivious and unconcerned as a mere 1,500 to 2,500 of them have corrupted, fouled, degraded, debased and pillaged this grand
200yr. old 'experiment in democracy'. Repeatedly, they've adamantly and cowardly refused to round up and imprison the THUGS, THIEVES, LIARS & CHEATS who've BLATANTLY & CONTINUOUSLY looted the US Treasury and robbed taxpayers of some $15 TRILLION for nearly 40yrs.

More pointedly, this 85% is more than willing to continue to send their children to their deaths in endless conflicts of Race-driven GENOCIDE against non-Christian Black, Brown and Yellow people just because they have resources 2,500 psychotics and sociopaths believe should be America's.
This 85% needs to look in their children's eyes and tell them who REALLY destroyed their Future!

[LanceThruster]

The corporate media has incredible leverage regarding what stories resonate. They can take items such as this and bury them, or if they start to generate a buzz, promote their own spin to dismiss or downplay them.

Worse, when a particular position, expert, report, or reporter is shown to be completely wrong based on lies, accepting lies, or false assumptions, the people who got the story correct (such as Brad on black box voting and other election fraud activities) will continue to be ignored and marginalized by that same media whose gatekeeping kept the truth-tellers at bay, and trot back out their same discredited opinion makers.

Lather, rinse, get it wrong, repeat.

I hope we're making a dent in that predictable sequence but until that is dealt with, the "Big Lie" stays effective because the sleepwalkers tune out the Cassandra's.

[ronangell]

Encyclopedia of white-collar and corporate crime, Volume 2
By Lawrence M. Salinger

Encyclopedia of white-collar and corporate crime, Volume 2
By Lawrence M. Salinger