Harman: I Never Contacted DOJ On AIPAC Case

[ProSense]

Harman: I Never Contacted DOJ On AIPAC Case

By Zachary Roth - April 20, 2009

Rep. Jane Harman's office has released a statement in response to CQ's report that the congresswoman was heard on an NSA wiretap telling an "Israeli agent" that she would press the Justice Department to ease up on the AIPAC spy case in return for help for political help.

The CQ Politics story simply recycles three year-old discredited reporting of largely unsourced material to manufacture a 'scoop' out of widely known and unremarkable facts - that Congresswoman Jane Harman is and has long been a supporter of AIPAC, and that some members of AIPAC regarded her as well-qualified to chair the House Intelligence Committee following the 2006 elections. Congresswoman Harman has never contacted the Justice Department about its prosecution of present or former AIPAC employees and the Department has never informed her that she was or is the subject of or involved in an investigation. If there is anything about this story that should arouse concern, it is that the Bush Administration may have been engaged in electronic surveillance of members of the congressional Intelligence Committees.

[Bolo Boffin]

1. No, she only talked to them when they called her. n/t

[ProSense]

2. This story smells.

Suddenly it's becoming the focus instead of calls for prosecuting Bush war criminals.

CREW is calling for an investigation, the first peep out of them since the torture memos were released.

[DevonRex]

3. I think this one has to do with playing hardball with Israel. And it's

not Harman who is the main target of this release. This is a warning to Israel that much more could be released about their espionage activities in the US if they don't cease their crazy demands about Iran.

This has Rahmbo written all over it. I'd say Netanyahu needs to reassess the situation since Rahm has alredy told him that Obama "won't be home" when Netanyahu visits the US soon.

[ProSense]

4. There are those implications, but it still doesn't explain

why a group like CREW is pushing for an investigation of Harmon when they haven't said a peep about the torture memos.

[DevonRex]

5. Is it because they're more into the quid pro quo thing, I wonder?

You certainly pose a good question.

[Supersedeas]

6. Timing is everything.

[AtomicKitten]

7. And Blago never consummated his deal-making.

Thanks for playing, Jane.

On edit: I do agree the timing of this exposure is suspicious.

[Egnever]

8. I think this story stinks as well

Harmon was one of our best voices when it came to the Iraq war. This smeels like retribution to me.