Jane Harman denies CQ report she was heard on NSA wiretap lobbying for AIPAC officials

Rep. Jane Harman, the Venice Democrat, has long denied allegations that she lobbied the Justice Department to reduce spying charges against top officials at the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the powerful pro-Israel advocacy group.

According to the original story, Harman was said to have promised this lobbying help to a suspected Israeli agent in exchange for his assistance in getting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to award her chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee -- a post Harman has long coveted.

But CQ's Jeff Stein, quoting intelligence sources, today added a new wrinkle to the allegations. He reported that Harman was heard on a National Security Agency wiretap telling the Israeli agent she would “waddle into” the AIPAC case “if you think it’ll make a difference.” And that she apparently ended her conversation with that ever-popular farewell among friends, “This conversation doesn’t exist.”

Harman issued a furious rebuttal today. In a prepared statement, she said:

These claims are an outrageous and recycled canard, and have no basis in fact. I never engaged in any such activity. Those who are peddling these false accusations should be ashamed of themselves.

As Stein said, "It’s true that allegations of pro-Israel lobbyists trying to help Harman get the chairmanship of the intelligence panel by lobbying and raising money for Pelosi aren’t new." Neither, he said, is the allegation that the FBI dropped its investigation of the case for "a lack of evidence."

What is new, Stein said, is word from intelligence sources about the court-approved NSA tap, and about this nugget: those same sources say the case was dropped not for lack of evidence but because of pressure from Bush Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales, who apparently hoped in return that Harman would help President Bush win approval for its warrantless wiretap program.

Pelosi never did give Harman the chairmanship, passing her over for Sylvester Reyes, the El Paso Democrat who became the first Latino to hold the job.

Many at the time criticized the new speaker for the move, decrying it as a blatant play for the Hispanic vote and wondering if Pelosi nursed a catfight-like grudge between two wealthy, powerful, fashionable California Democrats.

In light of this new story, Wonkette speculated this morning that maybe the feud was less a war of fashion and hairdos than "dirty intelligence."

-- Johanna Neuman

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Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[Pom Pom Girl]

Obama must release these tapes. If he can release sensitive info on US interrogation techniques that are negative to the U.S. then he needs to show transparency on this matter as well. Congressional Quarterly is a reputable source and this matter must be fully investigated even if it leads to Ms. Harmons downfall.

[joe]

Boy is this news ? We already know about AIPAC running the US .This is old news

[Patrick]

This is a really interesting story. The paper should keep digging until the truth is revealed.

Does Ms Harman work for the USA? Or does she work for someone else? And if she had to choose?

Keep at it!

[bilderberg]

Hang Em high!!!!!!!!

[bilderberg]

I've heard a lot of things about AIPAC and its mob mentality. That everyone in DC is afraid of AIPAC because they will send out an alert where the wasps come out sort to say. (A) Flood congressmen with calls and requests for visit (B) Flood Media channels with calls and requests to address.

AIPAC more or less is SPAM until we get it our way.

I've heard a lot of investigations FBI NSA showing AIPAC Mob rule that is essentially WE WILL SPAM YOU if you dont do things our way. I think NSA FBI are doing a great job in uncovering the BS our politicians put up with. Look at Obama AIPAC Youtube. Pucker Up!

[larry]

The news that Jane Harman was acting as an agent of Israel is very plausible. And if there is a wiretap tape, it will be impossible to deny. However, I would like to see this story on the journalism part of the LA Times, rather than on Mr. Malcolm's blog.

[Henry Blankett]

Will this mean that Harman's constituents will finally, at long last, give her the boot, and bring in a real Democrat? One who isn't under corporation's (and AIPAC's) beck-and-call? I wonder how they are feeling these days, knowing that their credit card interest rates and fees have gone sky-high, thanks in no small-part to their own representative's coddling of the banking industry.

[daveg]

She does not really deny the phone conversation.

She just says she did not actually speak with anyone from DOJ, which gives a lot of wiggle room.