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Rep. Jane Harman Focus In Yet Another Warrantless Wiretap Scandal

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the irony-makes-head-asplode dept.

Many different sources are talking about the latest scandal surrounding the warrantless wiretapping program. Incriminating evidence against California rep. Jane Harman was apparently captured some time ago on a legal NSA wiretap. However, Attorney General Gonzales supposedly intervened to drop the case against her because (and this is where the irony meter explodes) Bush officials wanted her to be able to publicly defend the warrantless wiretap program. "Jane Harman, in the wake of the NSA scandal, became probably the most crucial defender of the Bush warrantless eavesdropping program, using her status as 'the ranking Democratic on the House intelligence committee' to repeatedly praise the NSA program as 'essential to US national security' and 'both necessary and legal.'"

18 of 312 comments (clear)

  1. Stop communicating by nicolas.kassis · · Score: 5, Funny

    We should boycott all forms of communications!

  2. Treason by Dan667 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Rep. Harman should be investigated for treason. AIPAC should be investigated for treason.

    1. Re:Treason by Darundal · · Score: 5, Funny

      The Picard.

    2. Re:Treason by DrLang21 · · Score: 5, Informative

      How exactly does this qualify as treason under the US Constitution?
      From the US Constitution Article III Section 3: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort."

      --
      I see the glass as full with a FoS of 2.
    3. Re:Treason by bobdehnhardt · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You're spot on target. This wasn't treason, it was standard political quid pro quo. Admittedly, it's sometimes hard to tell the two apart....

      Dems may call it treason because she turned her back on the party line. But that's personal. IANAL, but to me, this looks like obstruction, maybe tampering with evidence. Not treason.

    4. Re:Treason by rpillala · · Score: 5, Informative

      I don't remember very many prominent Democrats opposing the NSA's illegal spying program. In fact many prominent Democrats were in favor. I remember a lengthy and uncompromising campaign against these kind of things by Chris Dodd (D-CT), but I also remember that Harry Reid (D-NV) decided to ignore the hold that Dodd placed on the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. Ignoring holds placed by Senators is not generally done. And then a lot of Democrats voted to end debate on the amendments to the act. I think you're giving the Democratic party too much credit for opposing the lawlessness of the Bush administration. They don't oppose lawlessness per se.

      --
      When the axe came to the forest, the trees said, "Look out - the handle was once one of us."
    5. Re:Treason by Dragonslicer · · Score: 5, Informative

      Seriously, many of the things the public blamed Bush for are the actions of Congress, which has been under Democratic control for several years.

      If by "several" you mean two. The Republican party took control of Congress in the 1994 election (I think, maybe it was 1996), and kept it until the 2006 election. The Republican-controlled Congress started the vast majority of the actions that we've been complaining about. Unfortunately, the Democrat-controlled Congress hasn't undone nearly as much of it as we had hoped they would.

    6. Re:Treason by RobertB-DC · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Seriously, many of the things the public blamed Bush for are the actions of Congress, which has been under Democratic control for several years. CNN isnt going to report that though, its not favorable to their agenda.

      It's not favorable to CNN's agenda, but not for the reason you imply. CNN may lean more left than Fox (though that's not saying much), but what makes news has almost nothing to do with political slant. It's all about ratings, eyeballs, "buzz", and ultimately, advertising dollars.

      Reporting the truth, that the Democrats and Republicans acted together to get us into this mess (name your mess, they worked together on it), isn't flashy. It doesn't grab headlines like the Pirates of the Carribean, I mean Somalia. It doesn't turn on the tears like the latest suburban child-killing mom. It doesn't generate tempest-in-a-teapot "controversy" like Lou Dobbs' latest proclamations on border security.

      Neither CNN, Fox, nor any of the rest of the corporate media shills will report on what's going on, because they think we're too dumb. And in fact, they have a vested interest in keeping us dumb -- smart people make poor consumers of advertising.

      And we're getting screwed by both major parties. It's better now than it was for the previous eight years, but putting on a condom doesn't make it any less a rape. That's why I still couldn't bring myself to vote for a D or an R -- I voted for Cynthia McKinney (even though in Texas, I had to write in her name).

      --
      Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
  3. A Setback for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If nothing else, this Jane Harmon scandal is going to continue to undermine the USA's credibility as an "impartial" mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Regardless of what Jane Harmon may have done, it's rather shocking that AIPAC has enough pull in congress to be able to hold out committee chairmanships as bribes.

  4. Good idea! by Aurisor · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'll tell everyone I know!

  5. THIS is the problem by amiga3D · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is why the warrantless wiretap program should be done away with. When you operate in secret the things found will be used to blackmail. Instead of being used to further the goals of justice it's used to further the goals of those in power.

  6. Re:So what's the crime here? by sweatyboatman · · Score: 5, Informative

    no, in fact TFA says that's not the implication at all. Harman has been a long-time supporter of the warrantless wiretapping program.

    The (newly revealed) crime is Antonio Gonzalez using his authority to halt a criminal investigation into a key political ally of the Bush administration.

    The original crime is Harman offering a quid-pro-quo with a foreign agent. Which, by the way, was captured on a legally requested wiretap.

    --
    It breaks my pluginses, my precious!
  7. Re:Couldn't prosecute. by spun · · Score: 5, Informative

    Who says it was illegal? We may WISH it were illegal, we may get it declared illegal, it may in fact be unconstitutional, but the fact is, the agents performed what was at the time a LEGAL warrantless wiretap against foreign agents and happened to catch them bribing a congresswoman. They tapped FOREIGN AGENTS IN ISRAEL. There is no US law against tapping foreign phone lines.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  8. beat me to it by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Informative

    Thank you. I'm getting sick and tired of hearing people drop the 'T' word without any idea of what it actually means. It's this kind of stupidity that makes me think the Framers were correct to define Treason within the Constitution so it couldn't be used for political purposes.....

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    1. Re:beat me to it by Compholio · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Thank you. I'm getting sick and tired of hearing people drop the 'T' word without any idea of what it actually means. It's this kind of stupidity that makes me think the Framers were correct to define Treason within the Constitution so it couldn't be used for political purposes.....

      Maybe some people consider those that threaten our liberties to be our enemies... Seems reasonable to me.

  9. Re:Jane Harman (D - CA) by phantomfive · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How hard is it to put the D after her name?

    Why would you want to do that? You'll just perpetuate the myth that it actually matters.

    --
    Qxe4
  10. Re:Parent is NOT trolling..... by SkinnyKid63 · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, Voyager only qualifies for flamebait.

  11. They are not allies in reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Since when has false flag specialist Israel really been the US ally, as opposed to treating the US as her bitch, because of traitors like this cretin in the article and other traitors in big business, big media, and big finance and big government? They sure as hell ARE traitors. Just because they claim they aren't doesn't make it so once you look at the real data.

        Why the hell should we be supporting a racist apartheid nation? I never supported racist south africa, and nor do I support Israel, they have been a plague and have put the world at peril for nuclear confrontation for decades now, all so that some European settlers can claim land that isn't theirs. If they had a beef with Germany over their particular holocaust, which is just ONE OF MANY that happened during the war, why the hell didn't we demand Germany give up some territory for some new zionist nation? The Germans are the biggest hypocrites out there now about this. Their old biblical claim to "greater zion" is pure hogwash, freaking fantasy land and I can't believe anyone on this forum falls for it.

      Here's just a few references to get you started on some sorely neglected education that you need about those false "allies" who are really the biggest threat to the security of the US, USS Liberty attack-this is called levying war, get it? and don't believe the official dual nation coverup story, listen to the actual survivors and dudes who lived through it. And go ahead and google "9-11, dancing Israelis"-for more levying war, and "khazars" for a little more in depth historical background of what lying toads they are. Shrewd yes, technologically capable, yes, smart yes, but also lying sneaky deceitful skunks and jerks.

    People who put the interests of some other nation over their own ARE traitors, fullstop. If they claim to be US citizens but work for another nation-traitors. That includes Israel-firsters, including those loony brainwashed flat earth snake handling Xians who are dreaming of Armageddon and some huge conflagration to bring about the Rapture, and just the normal economic traitors, then those jerk off big businessmen who are China-firsters, and so on.

    Traitors. You can't have it both ways, either loyal to your own nation first, or you are a traitor and a liar and a hypocrite.

    Israel, history of false flag operations