Posted on 09/03/2004 10:47:02 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
FBI counterintelligence investigators have in recent weeks questioned current and former U.S. officials about whether a small group of Iran specialists at the Pentagon and in Vice President Cheney's office may have been involved in passing classified information to an Iraqi politician or a U.S. lobbying group allied with Israel, according to sources familiar with or involved in the case.
In their interviews, the FBI agents have also named two Israeli diplomats stationed in Washington and asked whether they would be willing recipients of sensitive intelligence, the sources added.
The investigators have asked questions about personnel in the office of Pentagon Undersecretary for Policy Douglas J. Feith as well as members of the influential Defense Policy Board, an advisory panel for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, according to former U.S. officials who have been questioned and others familiar with the case.
Investigators have specifically asked about a group of neoconservatives involved in defense issues, including Feith, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz, Iraq and Iran specialist Harold Rhode and others at the Pentagon. FBI agents also have asked current and former officials about Richard Perle of the defense board and David Wurmser, an Iran specialist and principal deputy assistant for national security affairs in Cheney's office, according to sources familiar with or involved in the case.
"The initial interest was: Do you believe certain people would spy for Israel and pass secret information?" said one source interviewed by the FBI about the defense officials.
It remains unclear, however, how specific investigators' suspicions have become. And one official, a Feith ally, has said the investigation is an effort by some intelligence officials to discredit Pentagon hawks.
The sources interviewed for this article requested anonymity because it involves classified information or because of the ongoing investigation.
Perle, Rhode and Wolfowitz did ...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Info on Iran being passed to Israel amy not be a bad thing at all.
Hopefully there were no illegalities - but even so, the Israelis will make good use of the information.
Hope you are true and Israel won't use the info to BOMB Iranian people!
...so that Israeli Jets would have less static on their mission this fall. Now who in the world would have a problem with that? Department of State perhaps?
A good media friend tells me that she believes this was indeed a clear Arabist DoS assault on the West Wing as payback for Bush's laissez-faire stance on Israeli settlements. Wouldn't surprise me a bit.
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