Israeli-Pentagon Spy Scandal Fizzling Out

[Z-E-R-0]

The “Franklingate” espionage scandal is beginning to look like a surfeit of hype forced into bed with a paucity of fact.

A senior administration official has told the press that this does not look like a case of spying. “From what we know, Larry Franklin looks more like an incompetent fool way out of his depth than a spy. He apparently passed on some papers to Israel without realizing the ramifications of his actions”.

The source added that both Israel and the US regularly exchange sensitive information. “At most Larry Franklin is guilty of poor judgment in determining what he should or should not share with Israel”.

Another senior source said that Israel did not need Franklin’s information. Israel’s contacts with high-level officials are such that a phone call to the US would have been sufficient to elicit the information.

A senior Jewish source has told Maariv that this looks more and more like a case being driven by domestic political agenda than any real security concerns. “The fact that this affair became public two days before the Republican convention, is probably not a coincidence. We know there are lots of people out there who have an agenda to discredit the neo-conservatives, irrespective of the facts”, he said. He also mentioned the possibility of inter-turf scuffling between various US government intelligence and security agencies as a possible contributing factor.

http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=10841

[dave123williams]

1. Gee, if it's so inconsequential...

Why would the FBI have an investigation at all? This un-named official sure has a way of slandering a guy..."at most is guilty of poor judgement."

This is kind of the way that they defend Bush. "Decision makers will sometimes make mistakes."

[physioex]

2. Exactly....

The problems comes from the docile press who won't investigate. Maybe we should start a rumor that "oral sex" was involved...

[EST]

5. Oral sex is what those cons are doing to the rest of us.

n/t

[necso]

3. My take is that it is just crap.

Like the Israelis need to spy with the neos in power!

[dave123williams]

4. Pollard leaps to mind...

He was spying for Israel in peacetime...alliances are funny things.

[girl gone mad]

6. Fizzling out?

Is that the latest neocon spin?

Not so fast.

Sources say FBI investigators also are focusing on other civilians in Pentagon office

An FBI probe into the handling of highly classified material by Pentagon civilians is broader than previously reported, and goes well beyond allegations that a single mid-level analyst gave a top-secret Iran policy document to Israel, three sources familiar with the investigation said Saturday.

In addition, one said, FBI investigators in recent weeks have conducted interviews to determine whether Pentagon officials gave highly classified U.S. intelligence to a leading Iraqi exile group, the Iraqi National Congress, which may in turn have passed it on to Iran. INC leader Ahmed Chalabi has denied that his group was involved in any wrongdoing.

FBI Interviews Senior Defense Officials in Probe of Analyst

The FBI has interviewed several senior Pentagon officials in recent days in connection with an investigation of a Defense Department analyst who is suspected of providing classified documents to Israel but has been cooperating with investigators for several weeks, government officials said yesterday.

Douglas J. Feith, undersecretary for policy, and Peter Rodman, assistant secretary for international security affairs, are among those who met with FBI agents on Sunday and Monday about the case, which has focused on contacts between a lower-level Pentagon analyst, Lawrence A. Franklin, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), officials said.

Why would they want Franklin to cooperate unless they are after a bigger fish?

[anarchy1999]

11. I want answers and I want them now. Go get the book

They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby
by Paul Findley

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/155652482X/ref=sib_rdr_bc/002-9530653-7866401?%5Fencoding=UTF8&p=S00M#reader-link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/155652482X/ref=sib_dp_rdr/002-9530653-7866401#reader-page

Silent No More: Confronting America's False Images of Islam --


Deliberate Deceptions: Facing the Facts About the U.S.-Israeli Relationship
by Paul Findley


Who is Paul Findley:

http://www.freewebs.com/gidusko/findley/

http://www.hanania.com/pfindley.htm

What Paul Findley Means to Me
By Ray Hanania

Paul Findley's book, They Dare to Speak Out, was a major influence in my life.

The book tells the story of Findley's struggle as an American. He served in the US Congress for 22 years, always representing the best interests of his Springfield, Illinois based congressional district with distinction and honor.

But it was his strong feelings of fairness, and his refusal to bow to the pressure of the terrible Israeli lobby in Washington, that made him a target of haters in this country and cost him his re-election bid. In fact, his efforts were always dedicated to the peace process, and bringing peace to the war-ravaged Middle East.

Anything sound familiar? Here we go again.......

For all the rest go to the links above.

[Leilani]

7. I read someplace

that 2 members of AIPAC were named, & have been under investigation.

And if the FBI is using resources for over a year to investigate this thing, there must be something to it.

I only hope it was not leaked to ruin the investigation.

[girl gone mad]

8. CBS reported last night..

that the FBI had told them reporting the story would not damage their investigation. I think all of the major players already knew they were being looked at.

[Judi Lynn]

9. There may be the slightest bit of slant within the source of this article

for chrissakes. Holy moly! This is laughable. No hot journalism going on here, to be sure. Look at the last paragraph:

“The fact that this affair became public two days before the Republican convention, is probably not a coincidence. We know there are lots of people out there who have an agenda to discredit the neo-conservatives, irrespective of the facts”, he said.

Yeah, must be that old librul press trying to destroy poor lil' _Bush again.

People like the writer here are simply pointless. I'm sure they get the oddest looks from others every day of their lives. They are twisted.




The younger Richard Perle, before he became this guy:

[Cooley Hurd]

Isn't Maariv Intl a Likud state paper?

If so, it's hardly a credible source. Nice try, z-e-r-o... :eyes:

[Z-E-R-0]

13. No, It's Not A Likud State Paper

[oasis]

10. This spy story was revealed for a definite reason. It's not going away .

The "offbeat" press can put what ever spin on it they like.

[anarchy1999]

12. I want the AIPAC, Zionist, Christian Coalition out of my government.

Period. And Mods, please forgive and move this post where you need to or kill it, because I know it is nothing but a flame war ahead.