FBI Seizes Computer from AIPAC Offices

by redjade Fri Sep 03, 2004 11:24

President Bush's top national security advisers were told more than two years ago of an FBI investigation into whether classified information was passed to Israel by a powerful pro-Israeli lobbying group, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The counterintelligence investigation started earlier than the year-old criminal investigation now focusing on whether a Defense Department analyst passed secret documents to Israeli intelligence through the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.

A senior administration official said national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and her deputy, Stephen Hadley, were "apprised of the counterintelligence investigation of AIPAC" more than two years ago.

The official said the investigation centered on whether AIPAC was acting as a "conduit" -- relaying information the group collected from the administration and the U.S. Congress to Israel, Washington's closest ally in the Middle East.

by redjade Sat Sep 04, 2004 14:26

FBI counterintelligence investigators have in recent weeks questioned current and former U.S. officials about whether a small group of Iran specialists at the Pentagon and in Vice President Cheney's office may have been involved in passing classified information to an Iraqi politician or a U.S. lobbying group allied with Israel, according to sources familiar with or involved in the case.

In their interviews, the FBI agents have also named two Israeli diplomats stationed in Washington and asked whether they would be willing recipients of sensitive intelligence, the sources added.

[....]

Iran has been a particularly controversial issue within the Bush administration, which still does not have a formal policy more than 3 1/2 years after taking office. A small group of Pentagon neoconservatives opposed a draft directive because it did not support a change of governments in Tehran, which they advocated, current and former U.S. officials said.

The officials whose names came up during questioning have strong ties to Israel. They also share a long-standing position on Iran and other radical regimes. Wurmser, Feith and Perle were co-authors of a 1996 policy paper for then-Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu titled "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm." It called for removing Hussein from power in Iraq as part of a broad strategy to transform the region and remove radical regimes.

by redjade Tue Sep 07, 2004 21:17

ou might want to re-read Bob Woodward's Plan of Attack now that you know the FBI has been attempting for at least two years to determine whether or not the development of that plan and/or associated National Security Presidential Directives (NSPD) involved any acts of treason.

Treason?

That's right. Not spying. Treason. It would be an act of treason for any American to deliberately develop an NSPD that was in the best interests of some other country, but not in our best interests.

Of course, the neo-crazies and their media sycophants claim that the FBI is merely looking for Israeli spies, and that there are none because Israel doesn't need them.

The neo-crazies boast that if the Israelis or their paid lobbyists at the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) want to know something, all they have to do is drop by the White House and National Security Adviser Condi Rice or one of her deputies will tell them anything – literally anything – they want to know.

But, one of the "persons of interest" in the FBI investigation is Larry Franklin – a munchkin in the neo-crazy fiefdom of Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith. According to news reports, Franklin is not suspected of spying. But he has apparently been observed by the FBI asking AIPAC lobbyists if there is anything in a top secret "draft" NSPD on Iran that the Israelis object to. Or if there is anything that isn't in the NSPD on Iran that the Israelis want included.

by Eoin Dubsky Wed Sep 08, 2004 00:08

Stephen Green writes an excellent update to his earlier piece on the Bush Neo-con - Israel connection for CounterPunch this week. CounterPunch is a must read, as is cursor.org for all this sort of thing.