Monday, April 20, 2009

Harman and the (Alleged) Spies   [David Freddoso]

This piece in CQ is rather disturbing, if accurate. Jane Harman, a Democratic congresswoman from California, is caught on a wiretap promising to help reduce charges against two AIPAC employees facing espionage-related charges. Attorney General Gonzales allegedly intervenes to stop an investigation of Harman, and leans on her to speak in defense of the wiretapping program — which she did.

Harman's office calls it an "outrageous and recycled canard," referring to the reports of a Harman investigation from 2006. But whatever it is, it is certainly not recycled. From the piece:

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 [to] break in The New York Times and engulf the White House.

04/20 12:09 PMShare