05 FBI Translator Sibel Edmonds Overhears Wiretap: "Denny Boy" Hastert-$$$ For Political Favors+info [View all]

[kpete]

A September 2005 article in Vanity Fair revealed that during her work, former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds had heard Turkish wiretap targets boast of covert relations with Hastert. The article states, "the targets reportedly discussed giving Hastert tens of thousands of dollars in surreptitious payments in exchange for political favors and information. Following his congressional career, Hastert received a $35,000 per month contract lobbying on behalf of Turkey:

But that isn't the half of the allegations against Hastert. Vanity Fair's September edition, now out in New York but yet to hit national newsstands, packs a punch with an article about Sibel Edmonds, the FBI translator who has been gagged by the Bush Administration from revealing information about conversations she translated surrounding a seemingly major corruption scandal involving Turkish nationals and U.S. lawmakers. From Vanity Fair: "Edmonds has given confidential testimony inside a secure Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility on several occasions: to congressional staffers, to investigators from the OIG, and to staff from the 9/11 commission," Rose continues. "Sources familiar with this testimony say that, in addition to her allegations about the Dickersons, she reported hearing Turkish wiretap targets boast that they had a covert relationship with a very senior Republican indeed - Dennis Hastert, Republican congressman from Illinois and Speaker of the House since 1999. The targets reportedly discussed giving Hastert tens of thousands of dollars in surreptitious payments in exchange for political favors and information. "The Dickersons," says one official familiar with the case, "are just the tip of the iceberg." "Some of the calls reportedly contained what sounded like references to large scale drug shipments and other crimes," writes Rose. "One name, however, apparently stood out - a man the Turkish callers often referred to by the nickname "Denny boy." It was the Republican congressman from Illinois and Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert. According to some of the wiretaps, the FBI's targets had arranged for thousands of dollars to be paid to Hastert's campaign funds in small checks. Under Federal Election Commission rules, donations of less than $200 are not required to be itemized in public filings.

More:
http://www.bidstrup.com/arc20060501.htm

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2005/09/edmonds200509
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2005/08/03/607/55336/otherpolitics/Vanity-Fair-Reports-on-Alleged-Turkish-Bribes-of-Hastert
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman/fbi-whistleblower-hastert_b_277704.html