Whistleblower: members of Congress were bribed and blackmailed by Turkish agents

Ari · Sep 10, 2009

Whoa! Definitely would like to see a video of that unnamed Congresswoman, although it depends on how hot she is.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman/fbi-whistleblower-hastert_b_277704.html

FBI Whistleblower: Hastert, Burton, Blunt, Other Members of Congress 'Bribed, Blackmailed'

By Brad Friedman

September 07, 2009 "Huffington Post" -- It has now been over a week since the video tape and transcript from the remarkable 8/8/09 deposition of former FBI translator-turned-whistleblower Sibel Edmonds was publicly released. Previously, the Bush Administration invoked the so-called "state secrets privilege" in order to gag Edmonds, in attempting to keep such information from becoming public.

The under-oath, detailed allegations include bribery, blackmail, espionage and infiltration of the U.S. government of, and by current and former members of the U.S. Congress, high-ranking State and Defense Department officials and agents of the government of Turkey. The broad criminal conspiracy is said to have resulted in, among other things, the sale of nuclear weapons technology to black market interests including Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, Libya and others.

Even as many of these allegations had been previously corroborated to varying extents, by a number of official government reports, documents and independent media outlets (largely overseas), not a single major mainstream media outlet in the U.S. has picked up on Edmonds' startling claims since her deposition has been made fully available.

Granted, last week was a busy news week, with the death of Ted Kennedy, the release of the CIA Inspector General's report on torture, and the announcement that Michael Jackson's death was ruled a homicide. And, it's true, a 4-hour deposition and/or 241-page transcript [PDF] is a lot of material to review, particularly given the wide scope of the charges being made here. Still, given the serious national security issues at stake, said to have the been among the most important matters of the past 8 years, one would think someone in the corporate MSM might have taken the time to go through the material, and report on it. Particularly as Edmonds' claims have previously been found "credible" "serious" and "warrant[ing] a thorough and careful review," by the DoJ Inspector General, and confirmed as such, on several occasions, by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and many many others.

So for the benefit of the U.S. media, and other readers, who may find it helpful for this large body of newly-available information to be culled down into more digestible pieces, I will attempt to break down the deposition, a bit, into some of its subject matter-based component parts. I will try to go through the major disclosures from the deposition, one-by-one, in a series of pieces which might help others to further report and/or investigate these breathtaking disclosures from a former FBI official who, following 9/11, listened to and translated wiretap recordings made from 1996 through 2002, in the FBI's counterintelligence and counterterrorism departments, under top-secret clearance.

In this first break-down article, we'll look at the answers given by Edmonds during her deposition in regard to bribery and blackmail of current and former members of the U.S. Congress, including Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Bob Livingston (R-LA), Dan Burton (R-IN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Stephen Solarz (D-NY), Tom Lantos (D-CA, deceased) and an unnamed, currently-serving, married Democratic Congresswoman said to have been video-taped in a Lesbian affair by Turkish agents for blackmail purposes.

In further breakdown articles, we'll look at her disclosures concerning top State and Defense Department officials including Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz and, perhaps most notably, the former Deputy Undersecretary of State, Marc Grossman, the third-highest ranking official in the State Department. Also, details on the theft of nuclear weapons technology; disclosures on Valerie Plame Wilson's CIA front company Brewster-Jennings; items related to U.S. knowledge of 9/11 and al-Qaeda prior to September 11, 2001; infiltration of the FBI translation department and more.

Though Edmonds was careful to not "discuss the intelligence gathering method by the FBI," she notes in her deposition that her claims are "Based on documented and provable, tracked files and based on...100 percent, documented facts."

Among the specific charges she levels against current and former U.S. Congress Members in the deposition:

Dennis Hastert: "everal categories. The acceptance of large sums of bribery in forms of cash or laundered cash ... to make it look legal for his campaigns, and also for his personal use, in order to do certain favors ... make certain things happen for foreign entities and foreign governments' interests, Turkish government's interest and Turkish business entities' interests. ... other activities, too, including being blackmailed for various reasons. ... he used the townhouse that was not his residence for certain not very morally accepted activities. ... foreign entities knew about this, in fact, they sometimes participated in some of those not maybe morally well activities in that particular townhouse that was supposed to be an office, not a house, residence at certain hours, certain days, evenings of the week."

Stephen Solarz: "[A]s lobbyist ... acted as conduit to deliver or launder contribution and other briberies to certain members of Congress, but also in pressuring outside Congress, and including blackmail, in certain members of Congress."

Bob Livingston: "Until 1999 ... not very legal activities on behalf of foreign interests and entities, and after 1999 acting as a conduit to, again, further foreign interests, both overtly and covertly as a lobbyist, but also as an operative."

Tom Lantos: "[N]ot only ... bribe[ry], but also ... disclosing highest level protected U.S. intelligence and weapons technology information both to Israel and to Turkey. ... other very serious criminal conduct."

Unnamed Congresswoman: (Though not identified as such during the deposition, Edmonds has since confirmed her to be a Democrat) "[T]his Congresswoman's married with children, grown children, but she is bisexual. ... So they have sent Turkish female agents, and that Turkish female agents work for Turkish government, and have sexual relationship with this Congresswoman in her townhouse ... and the entire episodes of their sexual conduct was being filmed because the entire house, this Congressional woman's house was bugged. ... to be used for certain things that they wanted to request ... I don't know if she did anything illegal afterward. ... the Turkish entities, wanted both congressional related favoritism from her, but also her husband was in a high position in the area in the state she was elected from, and these Turkish entities ran certain illegal operations, and they wanted her husband's help. But I don't know if she provided them with those."

Roy Blunt: "[T]he recipient of both legally and illegally raised donations, campaign donations from ...Turkish entities."

Dan Burton: (And others) "[E]xtremely illegal activities against the United States citizens who were involved in [covert] operations that were ... against ... foreign government and foreign entities against the United States' interests."

Hastert, Livingston and Solarz, as Edmonds notes in her deposition, would all go on to become highly-paid lobbyist for Turkey and/or Turkish public interest groups after they left the U.S. Congress.$$$
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rimrocker · Sep 10, 2009

My guess is Jane Harman.

Roxfan73 · Sep 10, 2009

rimrocker said:

My guess is Jane Harman.
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Good guess.

[rquoter]
From Wiki:

US House Resolution on the Armenian Genocide
Jane Harman was a co-sponsor of the Armenian Genocide recognition resolution bill in 2007. However, while still cosponsoring the bill, she wrote a letter to House Foreign Relations Committee Chair Tom Lantos urging him to withdraw the bill[17]. Her argument was that while the genocide deserves recognition, it was not a good time to embarrass Turkey given that country's role in moderating extremism in the Middle East.[18]
[/rquoter]

Dubious · Sep 10, 2009

Sibel Edmonds

(hahha look who I'm stealing bandwidth from)

Ari · Sep 10, 2009

Sibel Edmonds is apparently of Turkish descent herself. She is not that bad looking either.

Ari · Sep 10, 2009

rimrocker said:

My guess is Jane Harman.
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Oh God she is old!

I just lost interest in this story

Ari · Sep 10, 2009

Looks like Harman is no stranger to dirty politics

From her Wiki page:

AIPAC controversy

In October 2006, Time magazine, quoting anonymous sources, asserted that an FBI and US Department of Justice investigation of Harman was underway. The magazine alleged that Harman had agreed to lobby the Department of Justice to reduce espionage charges against Steve J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, two officials at the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In exchange, Time said there was a quid pro quo in which AIPAC would lobby then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to appoint Harman as chair of the House Intelligence Committee if the Democrats captured the House after the 2006 elections. Harman, the FBI, the Justice Department and Pelosi's office have all denied knowledge of or involvement with any investigation.[12] AIPAC denied it had engaged in a quid pro quo with Harman. "AIPAC would never engage in a quid pro quo in relation to a federal investigation or any federal matter and the notion that it would do so is preposterous," a spokesperson said at the time.[12]

In April 2009, CQ Politics, also quoting anonymous sources, said Harman had been captured on a National Security Agency wiretap prior to the 2006 elections, telling an "Israeli agent" that she would "waddle into" lobbying the Department of Justice on the AIPAC case. Harman ended the phone call, according to CQ, by saying, "This conversation doesn’t exist."[13] Harman denied the allegations, saying: "These claims are an outrageous and recycled canard, and have no basis in fact. I never engaged in any such activity. Those who are peddling these false accusations should be ashamed of themselves."[14]

According to CQ, then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales pressed CIA Director Porter Goss to drop the agency's investigation of Harman, because he wanted Harman's support during the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy, about to break in The New York Times.[12] Harman called The New York Times and urged them not to publish details on the program.[15] Gonzales and Goss declined to comment.
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rhadamanthus · Sep 10, 2009

This does not surprise me at all. Everything I have read points to Sibel being accurate and truthful. How much anyone here wanna bet the major networks refuse to pick this up? Free press indeed.

MoonDogg · Sep 10, 2009

rocketsjudoka · Sep 10, 2009

I don't know what to believe on this without finding out more. I am wondering who Sibel Edmonds is and why she was in a position to get this information? The article states she is a former FBI translator. Was she translating Turkish for the FBI and what was the investigation she was tied to? Is this information still covered under State Secrets or does she feel that the FBI is covering all of this up?

robbie380 · Sep 10, 2009

rimrocker said:

My guess is Jane Harman.
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fap away

rimrocker · Sep 10, 2009

rocketsjudoka said:

I don't know what to believe on this without finding out more. I am wondering who Sibel Edmonds is and why she was in a position to get this information? The article states she is a former FBI translator. Was she translating Turkish for the FBI and what was the investigation she was tied to? Is this information still covered under State Secrets or does she feel that the FBI is covering all of this up?
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Vanity Fair article from a few years ago that should answer a bunch of your questions...

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2005/09/edmonds200509

g1184 · Sep 10, 2009

would not hit.

Oski2005 · Sep 10, 2009

Whoa, looks like I have more reading to do later tonight.

CometsWin · Sep 10, 2009

Why aren't these people in prison? Makes you wonder what impact Nixon's pardon has had on government looking the other way on criminal activity by Congress people. All the more reason why Bush and Cheney need to face charges for what they've done in office. It's disgusting what's going on up there.

Ari · Sep 11, 2009

CometsWin said:

Why aren't these people in prison? Makes you wonder what impact Nixon's pardon has had on government looking the other way on criminal activity by Congress people. All the more reason why Bush and Cheney need to face charges for what they've done in office. It's disgusting what's going on up there.
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This is exactly why I think it is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that the Justice Department would pursue any and all accusations of wrongdoing in government with no regard for whom they might offend in the process. The culture of corruption in Washington is out of control. We basically have people in high levels of government colluding with foreign agents to serve foreign interests and, in the process and primarily, themselves! How is this NOT being covered by the mainstream media every single night until someone is held accountable or at least made to answer for themselves?

At the end of the day what you basically have is two parties that are unaccountable and above the law, just because no one wants to do the dirty work or be accused of playing politics. It is disheartening to say the least. When it is all said and done, what America comes down to is a nation of law and order, and without that we are no better than Russia or any other country where government corruption and tyranny is rampant, and the citizens have little to no belief in the justice system.

glynch · Sep 11, 2009

I wonder how this is coming out. Has Obama lifted the "States Secret" ban?

I think I remember that Sibel Edmunds justdecided to get gutsy and speak out.

Not surprising that the Bush gang banned the release of this.

They all need to be investigated and punished where appropriate.

rhadamanthus · Sep 11, 2009

I see nothing in the major news outlets (read: rhad was right). And, naturally, Obama will just whitewash this all away. The man is a total pansy when it comes to accountability and past transgressors.

****ing ridiculous that he's just going to let all this wash away.

MoonDogg · Sep 11, 2009

Ari · Sep 11, 2009

rhadamanthus said:

I see nothing in the major news outlets (read: rhad was right). And, naturally, Obama will just whitewash this all away. The man is a total pansy when it comes to accountability and past transgressors.

****ing ridiculous that he's just going to let all this wash away.
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Exactly, Obama is not going to lift a finger and that makes him complicit in all this. Those who turn a blind eye to justice deserve to be held in contempt. It is just another example of the ruling elite from BOTH parties watching each others backs. It is like I am in Russia all over again

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