possible spy in pentagon for Israel

[Ash]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/08/27/fbi.spy/index.html

[Hel'n]

FBI investigating possible spy for Israel
Official: High-level Pentagon worker could have shaped policy



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI has evidence that a person who has been working at high levels in the Pentagon may be a spy for Israel, a senior official confirmed to CNN on Friday.

The suspect could have been in a position to influence Bush administration policy toward Iran and Iraq, the senior official said.

However, another government official said the suspect is "not in a level to influence policy."

"He is an analyst in an undersecretary's office," this official said.

A senior Pentagon official confirmed to CNN that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld "had been made generally aware that the Justice Department had an investigation going on."

CBS News, which first reported the story, said the FBI had developed evidence against the suspect, including photographs and conversations recorded through wiretaps.

The network said the suspect has ties to two senior Pentagon officials: Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith.

Multiple sources have told CNN that the investigation is well along, and one government official described the evidence against the suspect as a "slam dunk case."

The government official said "there has been no decision to prosecute the individual."

Another government source with knowledge of the case told CNN that the FBI is investigating possible spying at the Pentagon involving Israel and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group.

AIPAC released a statement late Friday calling news reports that two of its staff members may have passed internal White House policy deliberations on Iran to Israel "false and baseless."

The statement said AIPAC "is cooperating fully" with government authorities, including providing documents and information, and making staff members available for interviews.

"Neither AIPAC nor any of its employees has violated any laws or rules, nor has AIPAC or its employees ever received information they believed was secret or classified," the statement said. "AIPAC is an American organization comprised of proud and loyal U.S. citizens committed to promoting American interests. We do not condone or tolerate any violation of any U.S. law or interests."

Washington insiders note that it is not unusual for friendly governments to have access to certain classified information, so even if the allegations are correct, not everyone involved may have thought they were involved in espionage. Still, one U.S. source is calling the case "a very serious matter."

An Israeli Embassy spokesman told CNN that "we categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous."

An Israeli official in Washington said the U.S. government has not contacted the Israelis about any such investigation.

The Justice Department, speaking for the FBI, refused to comment, saying only, "We cannot confirm or deny the report."

An FBI spokesman said the bureau has no comment on the CBS report.

CNN's David Ensor, Barbara Starr, Kelli Arena and Terry Frieden contributed to this report

[Hel'n]

Figures...

[Donger]

FWIW, we have spooks in Israel. This isn't exactly earth-shattering news. It's been going on since the beginning of modern human history.

[jAZ]

I'd be curious to hear Mike Michigan's thoughts as a rumor-mill guy.

I heard a couple of months ago that the "techtonic plates under DC were going to shift" and that it was related to the Valerie Plame incident.

I read on DU a bit ago that MSNBC (on TV, I didn't see it myself) is reporting that this Spy investigation is directly related to the Plame investigation going on now. That the Isreali's and their spy are responsible for forging the Uranium documents.

The speculation from the above is that the "Spy" is part of the intelligence stove pipe in the Office of Special Plans that Wolfowitz was responsible for. CBS is reporting that the spy was "inside the decision-making loop" so they could "try to influence the outcome."

To me that could mean Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz or one of their aids. I'll admit that guess is partly due to religion (or my guess as to their religion) and also because of their agressive pushing for the war. And where they are within the administration.

I'm curious what the MM's take on this is...

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by jAZ

I read on DU a bit ago that MSNBC (on TV, I didn't see it myself) is reporting that this Spy investigation is directly related to the Plame investigation going on now. That the Isreali's and their spy are responsible for forging the Uranium documents.

The speculation from the above is that the "Spy" is part of the intelligence stove pipe in the Office of Special Plans that Wolfowitz was responsible for. And that the spy was "inside the decision-making loop" so they could "try to influence the outcome."
...

this admin. would be toast if that were true....it is way past time for an investigation of the OSP, which brought us Chalabi among other whoppers

the forged documents have long been speculated to have come from Isreal or Italy, which might explain why this administration has made no effort to figure out how they came to be used....

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by Donger

FWIW, we have spooks in Israel. This isn't exactly earth-shattering news. It's been going on since the beginning of modern human history.

You're surely not implying that this is somehow ok, are you?!?

[jAZ]

Originally Posted by jAZ

I read on DU a bit ago that MSNBC (on TV, I didn't see it myself)

I just saw the segment.

The above is pretty close to what they reported.

A Former CIA Analyst was talking about this. He said the following:

1) He's known about this for months now (timeline fits when I started hearing about the "techtonic plates")
2) It is indeed related to (result of) the Plame/Niger/Uranium forged documents
3) It is a "high ranking official" in the Defense Department
4) It could spread to the National Security Council

[jAZ]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

You're surely not implying that this is somehow ok, are you?!?

It goes to the heart of the justification for War. If true, it totally discredits the case for war in Iraq. It's a HUGE black eye for the Bush administration.

A quick attempt to trivialize the issue isn't at all suprising from Donger or any Con.

I'm guessing that his justification is just to add context to the issue. Which is fair. However, a more meaningful context are the consequences of this story. If Isreal pushed forged documents into the Cheney/Bush intel pipeline... and the CIA discredited the documents... and Bush decided to ignore the CIA and rely on the spy's forged (and discredited) intel in making his most dramatic and public case for war in Iraq...

Then Bush is at the center of the entire storm of lying to make a false case for war in Iraq. And knowingly lying to the American people in order to secure political support for his war.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by jAZ

I just saw the segment.

The above is pretty close to what they reported.

A Former CIA Analyst was talking about this. He said the following:

1) He's known about this for months now (timeline fits when I started hearing about the "techtonic plates")
2) It is indeed related to (result of) the Plame/Niger/Uranium forged documents
3) It is a "high ranking official" in the Defense Department
4) It could spread to the National Security Council

I just saw that interview, I couldn't believe what he said...

His name was Larry Johnson, I think, an ex-intelligence agent...said he's known about the investigation for months, and then he said- unprompted- that the main thrust of the investigation was the forged documents and whether or not they were forged by Isreal to assist the administration in justifying the invasion and how they might have moved through the channels....he was speaking so casually it was if he didn't understand the serious of the issue (though obviously he does)

this story is already breaking and will erase the dim-bulb vets pronto...Pat Buchanon was on immediately afterward and he speculated that the investigation was leaked in order to ruin it, but he was just rambling off the cuff....he was, though, shocked by what Johnson had just said....

[Hel'n]

This is gonna get really juicy...

I can see the headlines now:

"Swift Boat Veterans for Truth File Affidavits Stating Kerry Planted the Forged Documents"

[Ugly Duck]

"AIPAC is an American organization comprised of proud and loyal U.S. citizens committed to promoting American interests."

Oh come on... those folks are taking a page right out of the Republican "Book of Lies." Watch Karl Rove sic the Swift Liars on whoever broke this story....

[jAZ]

Originally Posted by Ugly Duck

Watch Karl Rove sic the Swift Liars on whoever broke this story....

Actually, Buchanon said that he suspected that Rove (or someone in the Bush Administration) leaked it to interfere with the investigation.

[KCWolfman]

There is more speculation here than in Vegas.


You guys have connected a great deal of dots without anything other than a headline - you must be masterminds.

This guy is disgusting to sell secrets for any reason - IMO, the death penalty is not beyond the realm of sanity (as for the asses selling secrets to the Russians and Chinese during the Clinton admin), but let's be serious. Most news agencys are stating that he will probably be charged with a lesser charge than espionage.

I am just glad the traitor was caught.

[memyselfI]

Originally Posted by Ash

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/08/27/fbi.spy/index.html

Interesting timing of this breaking news. CNN also alluded that someone in the NSC could be involved as well.

I think it does shed some light on that convenient Swift Boat hysteria that came out of nowhere and we've endured the past couple of weeks.

Perhaps raising the terror level again didn't seem like a good idea.