Evidence Growing That Goss Camp Is Behind Harman Leak?

[kpete]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Evidence Growing That Goss Camp Is Behind Harman Leak?
By Zachary Roth - April 29, 2009, 5:18PM

There seems to be an emerging consensus among smart people covering the Jane-Harman/AIPAC case that the sources for CQ's original report -- which revealed that Rep. Harman had been heard on a wiretap discussing a quid pro quo with a suspected Israeli agent -- were aligned with Porter Goss, the former CIA director.

And here's some more evidence pointing in that direction:

The Feds' interest in whether Harman promised to weigh in on the AIPAC case in exchange for help getting the intel chair job was first reported by Time on October 20, 2006. That was just three days after Harman, as the ranking Democrat on the intel committee, released a stinging report into the Duke Cunningham affair, reportedly over the objections of Republicans on the committee. The report -- which laid out, among other things, Cunningham's ties to CIA number three Dusty Foggo, who had been hired by Goss -- helped contribute to Goss's forced resignation as agency director the following year.

It was Goss, of course, who, upon reading a transcript of the conversation between Harman and the Israeli agent, appears to have taken the initiative in authorizing a wiretap on Harman herself -- as JTA's Ron Kampeas has pointed out -- before the idea was shut down by others in the Bush administration.

..................


Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/evidence_growing_that_goss_camp_is_behind_harman_leak.php

[EFerrari]

1. Why does TalkingPointsMemo hate looking forward?

:)

[Howardx]

2. tpm is trying to protect harman

by making it about the leak rather than her treachery.

[DJ13]

3. Agreed

Anything to try to move the story away from her making a deal with a suspected spy just to gain a chairman position.

[Howardx]

4. have you seen this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5561184

MUCH better

[aquart]

6. Absolutely. Goes right to the preconceived notions...

Otherwise called prejudices.

[Jim Sagle]

20. And I guess you're trying to protect Goss.

[aquart]

5. Israeli agent....or Democratic large donor?

And is there any indication the Bush White House was able to distinguish between the two? Because I just can't get it out of my head that they would NOT have tapped a heavy Republican donor no matter what the fine feller did.

[glitch]

7. Wasn't Harman the only one on the Senate Intelligence Committee that objected to torture?

I can see why Goss would want to neutralize her.

[EFerrari]

9. Where do you get that info, glitch? n/t

[glitch]

10. I thought I read it here on DU somewhere, within the last couple of days.

IIRC it wasn't an outside link, I think a DUer said it.

edit: here are a few links on it, speculating http://bucknakedpolitics.typepad.com/buck_naked_politics/2009/04/according-to-the-new-york-times-harman-ended-up-on-tape-because-she-was-inadvertently-swept-up-by-nsa-eavesdroppers-who-w.html referencing this http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/04/20/bush_era_cia_officials_push_back

Laura Rozen is pretty good but I don't know if it's certain info.

[EFerrari]

11. Thanks. I haven't read that myself but, I haven't seen everything.

If there's something out there, it would be nice to know.

[glitch]

12. You're too fast! I edited my post to add some links but I think they're speculative nt

[chill_wind]

13. Marcy Wheeler-- Emptywheel (link)

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/04/24/is-the-harman-story-an-attempt-to-silence-her-about-torture/

and multiple other back diaries there on the whole thing since it broke.

And again-- the whole non-explanation of the timing of this story doesn't pass the smell test for a second.

See the CQ transcript in which he was asked twice about that:

Jeff Stein and the Jane Harman Story: Why Just Now?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5543084

[glitch]

14. Thanks! Another trusted source IMO. nt

[chill_wind]

15. She has been digging & turning up a lot- here's another diary

which, among else, goes into the letter Harmon wrote to CIA General Counsel in Feb 2003.

http://www.cfr.org/publication/15164/representative_jane_harmans_letter_to_cia_general_counsel_muller.html

(snippet)

It is also the case, however, that what was described raises profound policy questions and I am concerned about whether these have been as rigorously examined as the legal questions. I would like to know what kind of policy review took place and what questions were examined. In particular, I would like to know whether the most senior levels of the White House have determined that these practices are consistent with the principles and policies of the United States. Have enhanced techniques been authorized and approved by the President?

Porter Goss Escalates Attacks on Pelosi and Harman–But Admits CIA Broke the Law
By: emptywheel Saturday April 25, 2009 6:10 am


http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/04/25/porter-goss-attacks-on-pelosi-and-harman-but-admits-cia-broke-the-law/

***************************************

My own very first reaction when that story broke was that someone with a lot to protect and fear from the torture prosecution questions (and Obama's statement the day previous clarifying that he was going to let AG Holder determine how to do his own job) was baring fangs and sending a message.

Then the general media offensive on Dems began, with Scarborough quoting Goss all the next morning about the level of Dem access to briefings. Marcy Wheeler has been digging into the actual level of detail and questions about much of that, too. (see some of her other diaries--

Pelosi: Of Hidden Memos and Covert Ops Hidden in Supplementals
By: emptywheel Saturday April 25, 2009 11:08 am

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/04/25/pelosi-of-hidden-memos-and-covert-ops-hidden-in-supplementals/

The Bush Administration Did Not Give Legally-Required Prior Notification to Congress
By: emptywheel Saturday April 25, 2009 7:34 am

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/04/25/the-bush-administration-did-not-give-prior-notification-to-congress/


About Democratic Complicity: the Early Briefings on Torture
By: emptywheel Sunday April 26, 2009 8:47 am


Leen links to two articles suggesting the Democrats are reluctant to have a truth commission because of their own complicity in torture.

Now, I don't mean to be an apologist for Democrats on torture--because I do believe the Constitutional Speech and Debate clause must take precedence over national security guidelines that limit briefings to the Gang of Four or Eight. But before we start attacking Democrats, let's establish what we know about briefings that happened before the waterboarding of detainees.

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/04/26/about-democratic-complicity-the-early-briefings-on-torture/



Again, the timing on the Harman release was to me, very suspect and the timing seeming very targeted.
Jeff Stein: No special reason why now, just had it laying around on my desk for a while and just hadn't gotten around to it, ho hum....

(loosely paraphrasing)

[glitch]

16. Very interesting! Ho hum indeed.

Things are going to get very interesting as the thugs start to realize after 8 years there is a new sheriff in town.

Trying to discredit anyone who objected to their criminal behavior would be an obvious step if they're hoping for a 'we're all dirty, you'll have to prosecute your friends if you want to prosecute us' kind of defense. I would have thought 'everybody did it' would have been their defense of last resort though, are they there already?

[chill_wind]

19. Here's the CQ transcript of the Stein interview:

http://innovation.cq.com/liveonline/54/landing

excerpt about the timing questions:

# Claire from Washington DC: Why are your sources coming forward now? There must be some reason why they have waited almost three years.

# Jeff Stein:

Thanks. I've seen a lot of speculation about that online.



The fact is, there is no "timing" to any "leak."



No sources "came forward," so to speak.



I learned about this quite a while ago and was just recently able to turn my full attention to it. Total coincidence.


(see full transcript)



# Sandy from Brooklyn: Why is all this stuff coming out now?

# Jeff Stein:

No special reason.

The story was not "planted" on me to influence any other events -- in particular the looming AIPAC trial or things related to the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program. I've known about it for some time but just not been able to pull it together until now for various reasons.

[MasonJar]

8. Porter Goss is one big piece of human excrement.

[Piewhacket]

18. and that's his good side. you should see where he parks his head at night.

[mtf80123]

17. Ooooo!!!! How deliciously Juicy!!!

This scandal just keeps cumming and cumming...

er... uh.... going and going!

[chill_wind]

21. kicked