AIPAC on Trial

[Karmadillo]

This is fairly bizarre. Is the story accurate?

http://www.counterpunch.com/petras01072006.html

In August 2004, the FBI and the US Justice Department counter-intelligence bureau announced that they were investigating a top Pentagon analyst suspected of spying for Israel and handing over highly confidential documents on US policy toward Iran to AIPAC which in turn handed them over to the Israeli Embassy. The FBI had been covertly investigating senior Pentagon analyst, Larry Franklin and AIPAC leaders, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman for several years prior to their indictment for spying. On August 29, 2005 the Israeli Embassy predictably hotly denied the spy allegation. On the same day Larry Franklin was publicly named as a spy suspect. Franklin worked closely with Michael Ledeen and Douglas Feith, then Undersecretary for Defense in the Pentagon, in fabricating the case for war with Iraq. Franklin was the senior analyst on Iran, which is at the top of AIPAC's list of targets for war.

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Facing up to 10 years in federal prison, up against detailed, well-documented federal charges based on wiretaps, videos and the testimony of self-confessed spy and Pentagon contact Franklin, fired and denounced by their former colleagues and current leaders of AIPAC, Rosen and Weissman are striking back with unexpected vehemence.

The defense attorneys are expected to argue that receiving information from administration officials was something the two were paid and encouraged to do and something AIPAC routinely does (Forward, December 23,2005). In other words, Rosen and Weissman will say that pumping top US government officials for confidential memos and handing them over to Israeli officials was a common practice among AIPAC operatives. To bolster their case of "just following AIPAC orders", Rosen and Weissman's defense lawyers will subpoena AIPAC officials to testify in court about their past access to confidential documents, their contacts with high-placed officials and their collaboration with Israeli Embassy officials. Such testimony could likely bring national and international exposure to AIPAC's role as a two way transmission belt to and from Israel.

If Rosen and Weissman succeed in tying AIPAC to their activities and if they are convicted, that opens up a much larger federal investigation of AIPAC's role in aiding and abetting felonious behavior on behalf of the State of Israel.

In the almost two years since Rosen and Weissman came into the public limelight as spy suspects, AIPAC has successfully fended off adverse publicity by mobilizing leading politicians, party leaders and senior members of the Bush Administration to give public testimonials on its behalf. It dumped Rosen and Weissman and pushed ahead with lining up the US Congress with Israel's pro-war agenda against Iran. And then out of the blue, Rosen and Weissman threaten to blow their cover "as just another influential lobby" working to promote US and Israeli mutual security interests.

more...

[Kagemusha]

1. Every last bit of it what you posted is accurate, but...

that doesn't mean that the mainstream media is in any hurry to report this whatsoever.

AIPAC denies all wrongdoing (and intends that to be heard as meaning violation of laws of the United States).

[Tom Joad]

2. AIPAC lobbies hard to support militaristic policies abroad, but

unfortunately has much clout. I think these scandals are going to help put things in perspective.

[Ian David]

3. AIPAC is FAR to the right of most Israelis and Jews. n/t

[still_one]

10. you are absolutely right

the real point is that all lobbyists should be removed from our government, NOT just AIPAC

[Tom Joad]

15. Well, actively engaging congress is not bad in itself... Sierra Club does

this.
However, when there is a lobby for militarism, it should be openly challanged.

In regards to the other post about AIPAC not representing any ethnic group, i agree 1000%.
All the more reason it should be challanged and critiqued.

[still_one]

18. I agree it should be challenged and critqued

but I have a problem with lobbyists and money in general. Why should the Sierra Club do it, and not the pharmecuticals?

This is the problem. You cannot make exceptions, it is all or none in my view, though I definitely see your point. I guess you could say it only is allowed for non-foreign lobbyists, but the corporations would still have an unfair influence

[Coastie for Truth]

20. I would start by removing the Energy Lobbyists

The Coal/Electric lobbyists have killed MHSA inspections (and 13 miners in Sago WV - my dad was a UMWA Lawyer - I know the coal field a little bit - but Dad knew the coal field and the coal miners - and the companies)

The oil lobbyists - "Syriana" pulls punches and cleans them up. They are dirtier.

[still_one]

4. The story is accurate, but

you have to be careful with counterpunch

Alexander Cockburn who owns the magazine has a definite anti-Israelli bias. This story is public knowledge, and actually was reported over a year ago by the NY Times



In the past Cockburn openly gave credence to reports that Jews spread anthrax in the U.S. and that Israel was part of a conspiracy to topple the World Trade Center. Cockburn insists Jews conspire to control the media see http://counterpunch.org/alexgraham.html

[Smarmie Doofus]

11. Is this in the Billy Graham story?

In the past Cockburn openly gave credence to reports that Jews spread anthrax in the U.S. and that Israel was part of a conspiracy to topple the World Trade Center. Cockburn insists Jews conspire to control the media see http://counterpunch.org/alexgraham.html


It seems to me he reported that * others* ( Graham, Nixon, and various unnamed internet sources )said or implied that Jews control the media and Israeli agents *were aware of* the activities of the 9-11 hijackers.

I didn't see Cockburn himself making these assertions.

[still_one]

13. his last paragraph says it

Certainly, there are a number of stories sloshing around the news now that have raised discussion of Israel and of the posture of American Jews to an acrid level. The purveyor of anthrax may have been a former government scientist, Jewish, with a record of baiting a colleague of Arab origins, and with the intent to blame the anthrax on Muslim terrorists. Rocketing around the web and spilling into the press are many stories about Israeli spies in America at the time of 9/11. On various accounts, they were trailing Atta and his associates, knew what was going to happen but did nothing about it, or were simply spying on US facilities. Some, posing as art students have been expelled, according to AP. Finally, there's Sharon's bloody repression of the Palestinians, and Israel's apparently powerful role in Bush's foreign policy, urging him into action against at least two of the axes of evil, Iraq and Iran.




















Certainly, there are a number of stories sloshing around the news now that have raised discussion of Israel and of the posture of American Jews to an acrid level. The purveyor of anthrax may have been a former government scientist, Jewish, with a record of baiting a colleague of Arab origins, and with the intent to blame the anthrax on Muslim terrorists. Rocketing around the web and spilling into the press are many stories about Israeli spies in America at the time of 9/11. On various accounts, they were trailing Atta and his associates, knew what was going to happen but did nothing about it, or were simply spying on US facilities. Some, posing as art students have been expelled, according to AP. Finally, there's Sharon's bloody repression of the Palestinians, and Israel's apparently powerful role in Bush's foreign policy, urging him into action against at least two of the axes of evil, Iraq and Iran.



























"
Certainly, there are a number of stories sloshing around the news now that have raised discussion of Israel and of the posture of American Jews to an acrid level. The purveyor of anthrax may have been a former government scientist, Jewish, with a record of baiting a colleague of Arab origins, and with the intent to blame the anthrax on Muslim terrorists. Rocketing around the web and spilling into the press are many stories about Israeli spies in America at the time of 9/11. On various accounts, they were trailing Atta and his associates, knew what was going to happen but did nothing about it, or were simply spying on US facilities. Some, posing as art students have been expelled, according to AP. Finally, there's Sharon's bloody repression of the Palestinians, and Israel's apparently powerful role in Bush's foreign policy, urging him into action against at least two of the axes of evil, Iraq and Iran."

In other articles he has also justified the attack on the world trade center, and that is unacceptable

[H2O Man]

5. It is.

You may be interested in a thread on the topic that I posted yesterday on DU:GD. It has more information and links. The neocon spy/AIPAC scandal is closely related to the Plame case.

[acmejack]

6. A little more about AIPAC

Lets bear in mind just who they are. Do the American people work for Israel? Lets get this into soem kind of reasonable perspective, please!

Pro-Israel PAC Contributions to 2000 Congressional Candidates
1999-2000 Cycle

http://www.wrmea.com/html/aipac.htm

Poll: Should AIPAC Register as the Agent of a Foreign Government?
The Question: A tax-exempt organization that lobbies Congress on behalf of Israel, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (also known as AIPAC), has been under investigation by the FBI for allegedly receiving classified information from a Pentagon official and using this information on behalf of the government of Israel. In view of this investigation, do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree that AIPAC should be asked to register as an agent of a foreign government and lose its tax-exempt status?

http://www.cnionline.org/learn/polls/aipac/

[H2O Man]

8. Also of interest ....

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae/ArchivePress/AugustPDFArchive/05/20050804franklinrosenweissmannr.pdf

[acmejack]

19. Thanx, H2OMan!

Good Stuff! AIPAC is a particularly egregious lobby IMO. I remember the NOW program from the political Conventions in 04. They threw the most expensive party at the republican Convention. They also threw the most expensive ($600K) party at the dem convention.

[still_one]

9. You should include ALL lobbists?

They all should be removed from government interference

[zippy890]

7. help - my eyes start to glaze over

when I read about this topic.

does AIPAC = Israel?

Even H20 man's thread I find hard to keep my attention on to sort it out, and he's good at simplifying complicated things.

[H2O Man]

12. This might help ....

http://www.cicentre.com/Documents/DOC_Larry_Franklin_Case.htm

[No Exit]

14. Hell yes, it's accurate.

Many of the things described in the article, you can see for yourself. Notice Wolfowitz and Feith have left the administration, just as the article says. And you know how the Iraq war scam was hatched and foisted on us.

I am interested in this b/c I am interested in, and opposed to, any force which might cause my own children to have to die in a war which is fought on behalf of a foreign power. Frankly, I don't want them to die in a war that is fought on behalf of American Big Business, either.

A point that the article doesn't make, but which I believe is true, is that information went in 2 directions through AIPAC. It did not simply go in the direction of Israeli interests, with AIPAC as conduit. Information--false information--was also stovepiped in to the "Office of Special Plans" through AIPAC. We all know now about the false information that was used to "sell" the invasion of Iraq.

[H2O Man]

16. Right.

Information went two ways. And it is especially important now, with tensions rising with Iran. Franklin made clear that he felt the administration had become distracted with Iraq, while Iran posed the more serious threat. Regardless of if one agrees or disagrees with Franklin's position, it is important to recognize that there are forces in this country -- not limited to any one ethnic or religious group -- that are advocating an aggressive policy towards Iran.

[No Exit]

17. Yes--just as with the Iraq boondoggle, there are several forces

at work. Hardline Israelis are only one of them. There are also the crooked Big Business interests, such as Halliburton and Big Oil, Blount International, the Perini Group, the Carlysle group, the defense industry, etc.

And there are the corrupt chief executive and his neocon henchmen. They like a "state of war" because they think it automatically gives the executive unlimited powers.

I'm against them all, because not one of these entities' causes is worth the life of one American soldier.

And they are trying to do exactly the same thing about Iran as they did about Iraq: put out false, incendiary, information which will fool Americans into supporting a pre-emptive invasion.

And I wish I had faith that the American people couldn't be fooled again, in the exact same way, so soon. By the time we know whether our people are really that stupid, it will be too late.