Rep Harman to Israeli Agent: "This conversation doesn't exist."

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Yes, she's a democrat. But is THIS what we pay her for, is THIS what we want our lawmakers to do?
And she doesn't want the public to know.
THIS is an espionage case against some AIPAC officials that she promises to "help" out in.

April 19, 2009 – 8:49 p.m.

Sources: Wiretap Recorded Rep. Harman Promising to Intervene for AIPAC

By Jeff Stein, CQ SpyTalk Columnist

Rep. Jane Harman , the California Democrat with a longtime involvement in intelligence issues, was overheard on an NSA wiretap telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department to drop espionage charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel organization in Washington.

Harman was recorded saying she would “waddle into” the AIPAC case “if you think it’ll make a difference,” according to two former senior national security officials familiar with the NSA transcript.

In exchange for Harman’s help, the sources said, the suspected Israeli agent pledged to help lobby Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., then-House minority leader, to appoint Harman chair of the Intelligence Committee after the 2006 elections, which the Democrats were heavily favored to win.

Seemingly wary of what she had just agreed to, according to an official who read the NSA transcript, Harman hung up after saying, “This conversation doesn’t exist.”

...
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=hsnews-000003098436

The LAST thing we want from Democratic Lawmakers is for them to need to say that
"This conversation doesn’t exist.”

[liskddksil]

1. Member of the Blue Dog / New Democratic Coalition

That says it all.

[wroberts189]

60. So she is a CONSERVADEM ... thought so thx. nt

[underpants]

2. AIPAC impacts and influences policy more than the Consitution

Money talks all of it in DC. 98% retention rate in Congress-the Politburo only had a 90% retention rate. Once you are a Rep you spend 70% of your time getting re-elected and in the Senate if you can get a second term you are pretty much a lock.

Money money money

it works everywhere

[Stephanie]

3. The SCANDAL here is that the Bush admin was eavesdropping on members of Congress

And then using that information to control them. Read the rest. Not defending Harmon, but WTF?!

What is new is that Harman is said to have been picked up on a court-approved NSA tap directed at alleged Israel covert action operations in Washington.

And that, contrary to reports that the Harman investigation was dropped for “lack of evidence,” it was Alberto R. Gonzales, President Bush’s top counsel and then attorney general, who intervened to stop the Harman probe.

Why? Because, according to three top former national security officials, Gonzales wanted Harman to be able to help defend the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program, which was about break in The New York Times and engulf the White House.

[leftstreet]

4. And Gonzales stopped the probe so he could blackmail her

You just can't make this shit up.

What a mess.

[Stephanie]

5. Just as we thought.

We always knew they were blackmailing Congress.

[pacalo]

19. Yes.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

27. I disagree. She came willingly, supporting her

AIPAC buddies. She puts Israel's interests ahead of America's. This is treason, pure and simple.

[RaleighNCDUer]

55. It is, and Gonzales knew it, which is what he was blackmailing her

with. Blackmail always works best if it is a real crime that you are threatening to expose.

[Bread and Circus]

6. This almost makes me want to eavesdrop on them more...fucking bunch of scheming bastards.

[girl gone mad]

18. They're both scandals.

She put herself in a position to be blackmailed by engaging in unethical, possibly illegal conduct and she was blackmailed by an unethical, illegitimate administration.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

[YDogg]

42. agreed

[davekriss]

26. Absolutely that's the scandal

And that's what we speculated was going on at the time (when we learned of the illegal NSA wiretaps). Now I speculate that this is why there will be no prosecutions (for this or other Bush crimes) -- too much will come out that will destroy Democratic leadership as well as Republicans. Best to just sweep it all under a rug. I speculate that a deal was sealed with Obama and Clinton early in their campaigns to ensure that this is so.

The only way to reverse the coverups is through overwhelming populist clamoring. We must insist.

[TorchTheWitch]

31. this was a legal wiretap

Court approved... the old fashioned way like it's supposed to be done, not the illegal Bush style wiretapping.

Although I have no doubt that the Bush gang was illegally wiretapping members of Congress, this is not a case involving Bush gang style illegal wiretapping. This one was a legal wiretap approved by the court as they should be.

[davekriss]

63. You are right

However, can't help but wonder if there's a quid pro quo swimming around in there somewhere.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

29. sweet since Rep Harmon strongly supports wiretapping program

new thread expands on my post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5495785

We don't want our congresscritters blackmailed by anyone, not foreign lobbyist nor the key holder to wiretapping programs.

[kenfrequed]

33. Heh

Live by the illegal constitution shredding wiretap... and hopefully politically burn for it.

[kenfrequed]

32. Feh

I would call it a two for one scandal.

Promising to intervene on behalf of any foreign intelligence agency seems suspect.

Spying on congress is practically Nixonesque.

[CLANG]

51. Hey, that's unfair to Nixon

[spiritual_gunfighter]

44. The entire thing is a scandal

The wiretap itsself, Gonzalez stopping the wiretap to blackmail her and Harman agreeing to this in the first place. We have to hold Dems accountable as well as Republicans when they do wrong. I hope you know that.

[Stephanie]

64. Read my post

As I said, it doesn't excuse her, but it certainly validates what we suspected, that the Bush admin was using wiretaps to blackmail Dems.

[Cass]

47. I read that as the AIPAC people were wiretapped and Harmon was picked up on those taps

....not the other way around.

"Harman is said to have been picked up on a court-approved NSA tap directed at alleged Israel covert action operations in Washington."


Maybe I am misunderstanding what happened but that is my interpretation of it from reading that bit above.

I agree that Gonzales acted improperly by shutting down the probe of Harmon in return for a favor for the Admin, though. There should be a thorough investigation into exactly what happened here.

[TorchTheWitch]

50. Not in this case

Although I do believe that congress people were illegally spied on to get dirt on them to blackmail them with, that is not the case here. Harmon was not wiretapped. She had a conversation with someone ELSE who was being wiretapped in which she hung herself out to dry. When the attempt was made to investigate her for what that conversation entailed which included a FISA warrant, Gonzo killed the whole investigation.

"What is new is that Harman is said to have been picked up on a court-approved NSA tap directed at alleged Israel covert action operations in Washington."
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=hsnews-0000...

Read the whole article. It clearly explains that Harmon herself was never tapped legally or illegally. As a result of the conversation she had with the person who was being tapped, a FISA warrant was applied for to tap her but Gonzo intervened and had the whole investigation including the FISA tap for her thrown out.

[leveymg]

61. This is really several scandals - Harman is actually the least of it.

One thing I can't quite figure out is why Jane Harman, an old Washington hand, would talk on the phone about doing favors for AIPAC with a known Israeli intelligence officer, reportedly Naor Gilon, who was involved in the Larry Franklin case.

Didn't Jane know that the FBI has been legally wiretapping the Israeli Embassy, out of which Mr. Gion worked, for more than 30 years? Or, did she think that had stopped? It's not like this sort of thing hadn't happened before. Jim Lobe reports, http://www.newsfollowup.com/docs/aipac/shalom_center_aipac.doc

In 1970, one year after he was hired by Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson, an FBI wiretap authorized for the Israeli Embassy picked up Mr. Perle discussing classified information with an embassy official, while Mr. Wolfowitz was investigated in 1978 for providing a classified document on the proposed sale of a U.S. weapons system to an Arab government to an Israeli official via an AIPAC staffer.

Naor Gilon was the Mossad Chief of Station in DC implicated in the Indictment of Col. Larry Franklin, the DIA Iran analyst at Doug Feith's OPC who shared classified materials with AIPAC's Rosen and Weissman. He was also pal with Judy Miller, who is believed to be referenced in the same indictment.

Galon fled the country shortly after the FBI investigation of Franklin was leaked in 2005. He's recently been appointed Chief of Staff to Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman.

It's widely known that NSA and FBI have been legally surveilling the Mossad Office in the Israeli Embassy for years. If Harman was overheard as part of that tap, she should have known better. If Harman had this conversation with the Mossad Chief in DC, it's no surprise she was kicked off the House Intel Committee.


But, there's a larger issue here than Harman and Gilon - something more to this that many people haven't talked about.


Here's the question that isn't being asked: Why is AIPAC interested in continuing warrantless wiretapping? AIPAC and its beneficiaries have been a constant force against accountability for warrantless wiretapping programs.

There is a reasonable explanation for that: Narus/Verint/NICE (wiretapping) systems

The NSA has long relied on Israeli produced wiretapping systems for much of its domestic telephone/e-mail intercepts that are gathered through CALEA-mandated diverters put in place by the phone companies beginning in the 1990s. Much of this equipment is manufactured by NARUS, VERINT, and NICE, companies founded and still operated by retired Israeli signals intelligence officers.

There may be an information-sharing arrangement with Israel similar to the ECHELON program run jointly with the UK, by which everyone reads and shares each others intercepts, in order to evade laws limiting domestic wiretapping.

Israel has an interest in maintaining its commercial and intelligence-gathering interests in the United States. The potential downsides of such an arrangement are obvious - it's appalling that this issue hasn't been openly addressed until now except by James Bamford and a few retired intelligence officers.

[bleever]

7. Don't underestimate the AIPAC scandal.

K&R.

[JDPriestly]

8. I have friends who live in Harman's district. They adore her and

will not be at all troubled by the fact that she was talking to AIPAC in this way. In fact, they will support her all the more.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. it is an espionage investigation

Perhaps so. But the issue isn't "do you like AIPAC" its do you like "pay for play" especially when it comes to putting loyalty to your country aside in order to get a plum seat on a committee?

Whether you like AIPAC or not, its more about whether a US Congresswomen should trade
her intervention into an investigation in order to get a seat on an influential committee.

Insert the name of any foreigh country's lobbying agency, or foreign spies, and then re read.

[seemslikeadream]

12. IT SURE IS AN ESPIONAGE INVESTIGATION AND

I have been waiting a very long time for this one





“It’s the deepest kind of corruption,” said a recently retired longtime national security official who was closely involved in AIPAC investigation, “which was years in the making.

[JDPriestly]

22. Happens all the time. How do you think we got into this trade imbalance mess?

Hillary Clinton's ties with India, the Bush family's ties with China . . . . The list goes on and on.

The powers that be at NSA are just trying to get back at Jane Harmon because she made someone reveal the letter she wrote warning the Bush administration that it should not destroy the torture tapes. This is how right-wingers intimidate powerful people. It's the threat of these kinds of revelations that makes Congress so timid, so ineffective when it comes to oversight.

The NSA wiretaps have to stop.

[kenfrequed]

34. I don't buy that rationale.

Yes the wiretaps have to stop. Amazing that she was Pro wiretap and now pays a price for it.

[JDPriestly]

36. Ironic isn't it. I did not mean to suggest that

this kind of buying and selling influence is right just because it is commonplace. But, there is no denying that it is so common that it appears that Jane Harmon is being singled out.

But I still love the fact that Harmon, who protected the wiretappers has now been snared by her own careless remarks recorded forever on the NSA wiretaps. Wonder what else they have on her and whoever else.

[kenfrequed]

48. Well

Yeah and I have (at least) there are three huge problems I have with this.

1) She was pro wire tap and has no problem screwing other peoples freedom.

2) She has collaborated with espionage action now taken against her own government. Whether it could be considered a threat to security or not it certainly is a part of an action that compromises the reputation of our nation.

3) She sided with the damned bushies against her own party for her own self interest.

[kenfrequed]

49. Of course...

This is going to cause additional problems as the Israeli-phobes and Israeli-philiacs all work themselves into a frenzy.

[JDPriestly]

24. Remember Sibel Edmonds' accussations. Go figure.

Our government is one huge corrupt swamp it seems. Jane Harmon is relatively harmless. Jane Harmon's pro-Israel stances are very much in harmony with those of most Americans. I don't know much about AIPAC, but to the extent that she was helping out people she believed to be allies of the U.S., that is nothing compared to the torture of prisoners. And she was "outed" for her alleged AIPAC ties because she made someone admit that she had actually written a letter warning the Bush administration to preserve the torture tapes.

[leveymg]

62. So, you think this is payback for the letter about the torture tapes?

That's interesting. Who do you think did the outing of Harman?

[KeepItReal]

17. I live in her district and can't stand her. She is a D.I.N.O..

Harmon is either missing in action or votes the wrong way on important issues (think Iraq war).

Felt great to vote against her in the primary 2 years ago. Winograd just didn't have enough firepower.

[coalition_unwilling]

23. Your friends must be war pigs, since Harman

is an unabashed war pig . . . and a corporatist pig extraordinaire to boot. (She voted for the 2005 Bankruptcy Bill.)

[seemslikeadream]

9. Thanks haven't read it yet but is this the Larry Franklin, Steve Rosen, case?

oh I hope so I followed this one so very closely




Analyst Charged With Passing Iran Info: Franklin Turned Self InTo FBI
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1444053
Fieth resigns from Pentagon today
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1186412
Former CIA official looks to leak the truth
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=886884
New Israeli spy probe has a 30-year history, insiders say
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=852863
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=783161
FBI probes Jewish sway on Bush government
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=802725
Money from Iran Fuels Iraq Insurgency -Rumsfeld
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=810129
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=802249
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=784155
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=786361
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=784792
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=784274
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=786505
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=784906
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=788267
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=785131
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=794332
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=803022
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=783161
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=805885
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x803017

[mod mom]

21. Quite a wealth of knowledge there, SLAD!

Thanks! :hi:

[seemslikeadream]

11. OOOO YES IT IS AND IT MIGHT GET REALLY JUICEY

Rosen had been charged with two counts of conspiring to communicate, and commnicating national defense information to people not entitled to receive it. Weissman was charged with conspiracy.

[Norquist Nemesis]

13. Hah! Pelosi must've got wind of that one!!! LOL!

IIRC, Harman was none too happy when she was ummm...overlooked for the Intelligence Committee Chair position.

[seemslikeadream]

14. shame on you Jane

I wonder who else was wired and maybe this one wasn't an accident?

[Lasher]

16. Jay Rockefeller says they tried to eavesdrop on him.

Maybe they had something on Jay. That could explain his submissive behavior on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

[JDPriestly]

28. They eavesdropped on every single one of us.

And the language is all transcribed by computers and filed by computers and probably can be word-searched. It's sort of like a gigantic version of the systems big law firms use to manage discovery of documents in their cases from the little bit I have read about it. (Obviously, I know first-hand about law firm systems (which are pretty unsophisticated) but not about NSA's system other than from what I have read.)

The noteworthy calls may even be summarized and filed by the names of the parties for all I know.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

40. but given

The Justice Department did not back away from charging AIPAC officials Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman for trafficking in classified information.

Gonzales was engulfed by the NSA warrantless wiretapping scandal.

And Jane Harman was relegated to chairing a House Homeland Security subcommittee


Making deals with spies and then being chair of our Homeland Security subcommittee. What irony..

[MrSlayer]

15. Surprise, Surprise.

Our government is a joke.

[Kingofalldems]

It will be interesting to see the DU bluedogger(s) response

to this traitorous act. :shrug:

[OwnedByFerrets]

41. Fingers in ears going......

LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA LETS MOVE ALONG NOW.

[FLAprogressive]

57. "we're a big tent!"

[Kingofalldems]

20. delete

[ck4829]

25. We are NOT the Republican Party. Kick Harman out!

We are not the culture of corruption, I think Harman is in the wrong party.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

30. So many crimes

It would take forever to try all the crimes being committed on a daily basis in Congress. It's a protection racket for US capital. The whole place needs to be cleansed. Lobbying is nothing more than state sanctioned bribery.

[walldude]

35. This conversation doesn’t exist

I wonder how many non-existent conversations go on every day..

[Nothing Without Hope]

37. Note the agent's inference that Pelosi can be bent by AIPAC. New Yorker article -LINK:

This article from 2005 gives a sense of just how entrenched in our legislative processes this lobby is:

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/07/04/050704fa_fact

There is an avalanche of evidence along these lines.

[file83]

65. Of course she can, and has.

What's even more depressing is that when you mention this story to friends/family, people still respond with the "anti-semite" accusation.

Nope, just pointing out corruption is all. Some people have their heads buried too far in the sand.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TexasObserver]

39. You left out "unknown, anonymous source claims ...."

[Individualist]

43. Jane Harman: DLC member

[FLAprogressive]

58. shh...you'll bring them over from GD:P if you mention their name too many times

:)

[benld74]

45. She then said, " On the advise of my attorney,,,,

[dkofos]

46. Jane, you ignorant slut, of course it exists. Just file an FOIA request to the NSA.

Of course, the transcript may be fully redacted, but it does exist.

[FLAprogressive]

56. lol -- if CQ is lying -- why doesn't she sue? They must be telling the truth.

[november3rd]

52. Purge

We need to get the Republicans out of the Democratic party!

[bluesmail]

53. Don't forget corporate espionage. That's where if you were following the money

you'd start. Politicians tied with corporations. Who wrote 'what a mess'? The spiders web magnified.

[ProSense]

54. More information

here and here

[wroberts189]

59. She thinks she is a Jedi ... ? Jedi mind tricks will not work on us. nt