HA ha...
and the RATS take another one in the...
Posted on 10/21/2006 5:40:01 AM PDT by excludethis
Edited on 10/21/2006 6:15:49 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
The Department of Justice is investigating whether Rep. Jane Harman and the pro-Israel group worked together to get her reappointed as the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee
The case is a spin-off of a probe that has already led to charges under the Espionage Act against two AIPAC lobbyists, whose case is still pending, and to a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence for former Defense Intelligence Agency official Lawrence A. Franklin. Franklin pleaded guilty a year ago to three felony counts involving improper disclosure and handling of classified information about the Middle East and terrorism to the two lobbyists, who in turn are accused of passing it on to a journalist and a foreign government, widely believed to be Israel. The two lobbyists, who have denied any wrongdoing but were dismissed by AIPAC in April of 2005, were indicted on felony counts of conspiring with government officials to receive classified information they were not authorized to have access to and providing national defense information to people not entitled to receive it.
Around mid-2005, the investigation expanded to cover aspects of Harman's quiet but aggressive campaign to persuade House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to reappoint her to the prestigious position on the House intel panel. The alleged campaign to support Harman for the leadership post came amid media reports that Pelosi had soured on her California colleague and might name Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida, himself a major supporter of Israel, to succeed Harman.
The sources say the probe also involves whether, in exchange for the help from AIPAC, Harman agreed to help try to persuade the Administration to go lighter on the AIPAC officials caught up in the ongoing investigation. If that happened, it might be construed as an illegal quid pro quo, depending on the context of the situation. But the sources caution that there has been no decision to charge anyone and that it is unclear whether Harman and AIPAC acted on the idea.
AIPAC spokesman Patrick Dorton denies that the organization has engaged in any improper conduct. "Both Congressman Hastings and Congresswoman Harman are strong leaders on issues of importance to the pro-Israel community and would be exemplary Democratic leaders for the House intelligence committee," Dorton said. "AIPAC would never engage in a quid pro quo in relation to a federal investigation or any federal matter and the notion that it would do so is preposterous. AIPAC is not aware that the Justice Department is looking into issues involving the intelligence committee, and has not been asked any questions or contacted by the government on this matter, but certainly would cooperate with any inquiry." Dorton added that AIPAC has previously been assured that the organization and its current employees are not being investigated.
In this same investigation, the Justice Department has previously suggested that AIPAC had questionable motives in trying to help a valued government contact remain in a sensitive national security post. The Justice Department alleges in its indictment of Franklin that he asked one of the two AIPAC lobbyists to "put in a good word" for him in seeking assignment to the National Security Council. The document says the AIPAC official noted that such a job would put Franklin "by the elbow of the President" and said he would "do what I can."
AIPAC lists praise from Pelosi among a series of quotes from world leaders on its website: "The special relationship between the United States and Israel is as strong as it is because of your [AIPAC's] fidelity to that partnership..." But congressional sources say Pelosi has been infuriated by pressure from some major donors lobbying on behalf of Harman. In a story touching on tensions between Pelosi and Harman, an alternative California publication, LA Weekly, reported in May that Harman "had some major contributors call Pelosi to impress upon her the importance of keeping Jane in place. According to these members, this tactic, too, hasn't endeared Harman to Pelosi."
A congressional source tells TIME that the lobbbying for Harman has included a phone call several months ago from entertainment industry billionaire and major Democratic party contributor Haim Saban. A Saban spokeswoman said he could not be reached for comment. A phone call pushing for a particular member's committee assignment might be unwelcome, but it would not normally be illegal on its own. And it is unclear whether Saban — who made much of his fortune with the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers children's franchise — knew that lobbying Pelosi might be viewed by others as part of a larger alleged plan.
Saban has donated at least $3,000 to Harman's campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records, and the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, which he sponsors at the prestigious Brookings Institution, boasts Harman among its biggest fans. "When the Saban Center talks, I listen," Harman said at a Saban Center briefing in February on U.S. strategy in Iraq. Harman quipped that, in order to attend the session at Brookings, she had to "blow off" a senior intelligence official's appearance before a House committee.
But Harmon - she's doing something far worse here than abuse her office for personal enrichment. She's in bed with AIPAC! Those EEVVIIIL NEO-CON JOOS! The left will turn on her like rabid wolverines! She's DOOOMED!
The idiot left will do nothing more than dust off the Freedom of Information Act and claim that it gives them freedom to know what they want to know, and say what they want to say about it.
Most of the population believes what the leftist media tells them.
Here ya go...
If the GOP is behind this the only thing I have to say is - It's about time. The GOP should have nailed the dem every time they stepped in it. Memogate should have been the end of the dems power for generations. The GOP had proof that the dems were more interested in gaining power than protecting the country. They should have been run out of office.
A cat fight between Harmon and Pelosi???
btw .. isn't mid-2005 about the same time Harmon started to be really out spoken about intel ?
Fortunately, the majority of the VOTING population doesn't. At least up till recently they didn't. We'll soon see if that's still true, on Nov 8th.
(Shhhhhhh . . . I'm talking to our lovely Democrat friends, not to Republican FReepers, who already have election day on their calendars. We all want to make sure they vote on the correct day, y'know.)
Yes, I'm informing all my Democrat friends and associates that "W", using his penumbric powers moved election day to "Wednesday" ~ Fur Shur.
Wait.... her staff is selling secrets to the Times.... Dems sell out the country again... lets see how much of a story gets told... hmm
What a chice Harmon or Alycee Hastings.
Yeah, it's like jumping into the fire and then having someone brain you with the frying pan.
Cynthia McKinney's Dredlocks must be all a twitter-"aint nothing worse than the joos!!!!" So sayeth Cindy McCritter...
You and I are having a communication gap. I'm saying the majority of VOTERS aren't buying the MSM spin, and that is evidenced by the Republican majorities in both houses and the WH.
I agree with you that the majority of the general population accept the MBSM's version of things.
This is just the another Rat earning her badge of honor which guarantee reelection.
I wish there were some serious dirt on that butt ugly pig nosed Waxman. He will be the impeachment hatchet-man if the Rats take the house in Nov.
This is a load of horse puckey--brought to you by the loony lefties at The Nation. Time has now become a tabloid.
There is no sense at all to this piece.
Rats have a big problem. With all their squeeling about voter fraud in Florida and then Ohio, vote machines are getting computerized all over the country to eliminate fraud.
Fraud was often the deciding factor in their favor for the last 50 years. They cooked their own goose. Compare Florida 2000 to Florida 2004. They lost "RAT VOTES" big time.
"Alas Dimpled Chad, we knew thee well, If you RATS only pushed the stylus harder in that stack of 1000 behind closed doors, Chad would have fell, fell to the floor and given victory to Gore."
Every time a major city under RAT control goes to computer votes, they will lose thousands upon thousands of fraudulant RAT VOTES.
The only way they can win is to stop us from voting.
VOTE VOTE VOTE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(...whispering here...I was told that Rove can reprogram all the Diebold machines from the US military satellites... kinda works the same way that the "On-Star" can unlock your car thingee...but you didn't hear this from me, OK?)
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