Leave the Country for One Freakin’ Day…
…and i return to find out Jane Harman helped spike the NYT’s warrantless wiretapping expose, in order to obtain preferential treatment for an Israeli agent charged with espionage by our DOJ, essentially throwing the 2004 election, all “in return for support for getting the chair of the House Intelligence Committee.”
Marcy Wheeler and Glenn Greenwald have more. Glenn, always the lawyer, has this little item:
As for those wondering what the possible crime would be, the allegation is that Harman agreed to use her influence as a member of Congress to intervene in a pending criminal proceeding directed at AIPAC officials in exchange for receiving something of value (namely, AIPAC’s lobbying for her to be appointed Chair of the House Intelligence Committee). It’s exactly what Pete Domenci was accused of: trying to influence DOJ prosecutions for political ends, though in the case of the allegations against Harman, it’s even worse, since the suggestion is that she agreed to interfere in the criminal proceedings in exchange for AIPAC’s support of her quest to become Intelligence Committee Chair.
Finally, the CQ story says that Harman’s conversation was recorded as part of “a court-approved NSA tap directed at alleged Israel covert action operations in Washington.” If those facts are accurate, then it is hard to claim that there was anything improper about the eavesdropping; targeting agents of foreign governments is exactly what FISA permits.
Mommy, is it influence-peddling yet?
Jane Harman has no place in the Democratic Party, or in American politics for that matter. She has no respect for the Fourth Amendment, she’s engaged in what looks like incredibly corrupt behavior, and she’s sticking up for spies who steal our country’s secrets. and this woman wanted to be the Chair of the intelligence Committee? Maybe for the Knesset, but not here in the US.
Harman needs to go. Yesterday.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
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