Rep Harman defends allegations of cooperating w/ Israeli Lobby to help alleged Spies on Trial

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-harman21-2009apr21,0,539...


Reporting from Washington -- Rep. Jane Harman denied Monday that she had contacted the Justice Department to seek leniency for employees of a pro-Israeli lobbying organization under investigation for espionage.

The Venice Democrat also said that she has never been told that she was involved in the FBI's probe of former officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee.

Harman's statement came in response to a report in Congressional Quarterly that she had been recorded on a federal wiretap offering to lobby the Justice Department to reduce espionage-related charges against AIPAC officials. Today, the New York Times reported on its website that three anonymous sources had confirmed the existence of the recording. One source told the Times that she appeared to agree in exchange for help becoming chairwoman of the House Intelligence Committee.

The New York Times reported the caller told Harman that Californian Haim Saban would threaten to withhold campaign contributions from Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) unless Harman became committee chairwoman. Pelosi had no comment, the Times said, and Saban did not return phone calls.

In her written statement, Harman said the claims "have no basis in fact. I never engaged in any such activity."

The case centers on allegations that a former Defense Department analyst disclosed classified information to two AIPAC officials in 2003.

The two officials, Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, were indicted in 2005 and face prosecution on espionage-related charges. The analyst, Lawrence A. Franklin, pleaded guilty and received a prison sentence of more than 12 years.

Harman, then the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, has acknowledged that AIPAC supported her unsuccessful bid to become chairwoman in 2006.

The Justice Department and the FBI declined to comment. David W. Szady, head of counterintelligence for the FBI from 2001 to 2006, said he was not aware of any improper contacts from Harman.

"She was circumspect and professional and never tried to influence me or the FBI in any way," said Szady, who routinely briefed Harman and other senior congressional officials on espionage cases.

greg.miller@latimes.com

Josh Meyer in the Washington bureau contributed to this report.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Spies
• Spy
• U.S.
• Israel
• Iran
• Espionage
• News
• Wiretapping
• Wiretapp
• NSA
• CIA
• Patriot
• Act
• 911
• AIPAC

[lerch25]

@tdot22 For what its worth, its obvious enough to me

[MrObserver111]

Jane Harmann is a Mossad Sayanim, just like every other Jew in America.

[tdot22]

Love it!!! Americans are all for spying, torture and unconstitutional things being done to Muslims but cry when those tactics are used on them!!I hope you Americans will figure out this "War on terror" is a charade to extend more government control over ordinary Americans!!

[Fockersnextdoor]

If you work the citizens of the USA and have access to secret documents then you have got to expect to be checked on by the US Justice DEPT. of course aipac would not like this.

[ballsauce666]

For those who don't know the story

1. Office of Special Plans - headed by Douglas Feith *(dual citizen US/Israel), under Richard Perle, under Cheney. (OSP)

2. Larry Franklin - Worked for OSP - invented YELLOW CAKE story to go to war with IRAQ. *(Currently "serving" a 13 year sentence for leaking classified DOD information on IRAN to 2 AIPAC Officials. - Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman.

Trial on hold for 4 years

NOW = Jane Harman D, CA - another mole!

burn passport - send her to israel.

[WashMitt]

Caught red handed

"Capitol Hill is Israeli occupied territory." - Pat Buchanan

[franz909]

" I don't know if they were illegal or not " , yet in the same breath she said she wrote a letter , claiming the wiretapping was an " abuse of power " we'll which is Harman ?

She obviously tried to spin this scandal by conjuring up " other victims " to make it look like its wide spread , another strange position since she claims she just found out it yesterday ,Why is she asserting others were wiretapped , when the story is about HER , dont ask if she remembers,ask if she had the con. w/ aipac