FBI Suspects Israel Has Mole in Pentagon -- CBS
36 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI believes Israel has a spy at the very highest level of the Pentagon who may have sought to influence U.S. policy on Iran and Iraq, CBS News reported on Friday.
The Israeli embassy immediately denied the report.
"The FBI has a full-fledged espionage investigation under way and is about to ... roll up someone agents believe has been spying, not for an enemy, but for Israel, from within the office of the secretary of defense (Donald Rumsfeld)," the network reported.
CBS News said the FBI believed it had solid evidence the suspected mole supplied Israel with classified material that included secret White House deliberations on Iran.
The network described the spy as "a trusted analyst" assigned to a unit within the defense department tasked with helping develop the Pentagon's Iraq policy.
It said the analyst had ties to top Pentagon officials Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith, both regarded as leading architects of the war on Iraq.
Asked about the CBS report, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy told reporters: "We categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous."
CBS said the spy was believed to have been passing secrets to Israel through intermediaries at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobby.
"Our sources tell us that last year the suspected spy ... turned over a presidential directive on U.S. policy toward Iran while it was 'in the draft phase'," the network said.
"This put the Israelis -- according to one of our sources -- 'inside the decision-making loop' so they could 'try to influence the outcome'," CBS reported.
(CBS) CBS News has learned that the FBI has a full-fledged espionage investigation under way and is about to -- in FBI terminology -- "roll up" someone agents believe has been spying not for an enemy, but for Israel from within the office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.
60 Minutes Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports the FBI believes it has "solid" evidence that the suspected mole supplied Israel with classified materials that include secret White House policy deliberations on Iran.
At the heart of the investigation are two people who work at The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful pro-Israel lobby in Washington.
The FBI investigation, headed up by Dave Szady, has involved wiretaps, undercover surveillance and photography that CBS News was told document the passing of classified information from the mole, to the men at AIPAC, and on to the Israelis.
CBS sources say that last year the suspected spy, described as a trusted analyst at the Pentagon, turned over a presidential directive on U.S. policy toward Iran while it was, "in the draft phase when U.S. policy-makers were still debating the policy."
This put the Israelis, according to one source, "inside the decision-making loop" so they could "try to influence the outcome."
The case raises another concern among investigators: Did Israel also use the analyst to try to influence U.S. policy on the war in Iraq?
With ties to top Pentagon officials Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith, the analyst was assigned to a unit within the Defense Department tasked with helping develop the Pentagon's Iraq policy.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has been made aware of the case. The government notified AIPAC today that it wants information about the two employees and their contacts with a person at the Pentagon.
AIPAC told CBS News it is cooperating with the government and has hired outside counsel. It denies any wrongdoing by the organization or any of its employees.
An Israeli spokesman said, "We categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous." The suspected spy has not returned repeated phone calls from CBS News.
Originally posted by: arsbanned
Bastards. Iran is a better friend to the U.S. than Israel. At least we KNOW where they are coming from.
Israel is working behind our backs all the time.
This isn't the first time. I think we still have one of their spies in in a U.S. prison, don't we?
Originally posted by: maddogchen
Originally posted by: arsbanned
Bastards. Iran is a better friend to the U.S. than Israel. At least we KNOW where they are coming from.
Israel is working behind our backs all the time.
This isn't the first time. I think we still have one of their spies in in a U.S. prison, don't we?
Iran is a better friend to the US than Israel? How so?
Originally posted by: DealMonkey
I keep saying we need to cut Israel loose. They're more trouble than they're worth.
Originally posted by: Drift3r
Originally posted by: maddogchen
Originally posted by: arsbanned
Bastards. Iran is a better friend to the U.S. than Israel. At least we KNOW where they are coming from.
Israel is working behind our backs all the time.
This isn't the first time. I think we still have one of their spies in in a U.S. prison, don't we?
Iran is a better friend to the US than Israel? How so?
Because we know where they are coming from and how they feel about us.
Originally posted by: Drift3r
This is also a good reason as to why we should end dual-citizenships after the age of 21. You are either a American who has to be loyal to this nation and a citizen of this nation or you are not.
Originally posted by: maddogchen
Originally posted by: Drift3r
Originally posted by: maddogchen
Originally posted by: arsbanned
Bastards. Iran is a better friend to the U.S. than Israel. At least we KNOW where they are coming from.
Israel is working behind our backs all the time.
This isn't the first time. I think we still have one of their spies in in a U.S. prison, don't we?
Iran is a better friend to the US than Israel? How so?
Because we know where they are coming from and how they feel about us.
well i understand what you're saying, but I don't understand Arsbanned's friend part. You know where your enemy stands but you wouldn't call him a friend. Plus we have a lot of shady friends, not just Israel. We still call France a friend. China is a "friend" but I've never heard Iran being called a friend since the Shah days until today.
Originally posted by: MegaWorks
Originally posted by: Drift3r
This is also a good reason as to why we should end dual-citizenships after the age of 21. You are either a American who has to be loyal to this nation and a citizen of this nation or you are not.
I think that Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith are more loyal to Israel then the US.
Originally posted by: Frenchie
Youre naive if you think that Israel is the only country to have a mole in our government or to think that our government doesnt have moles in other countries governements....
New Zealand has imposed diplomatic sanctions on Israel over the activities of two alleged members of the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad.
The Israelis were sentenced to six months in prison for trying to obtain New Zealand passports illegally.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said that such acts by what she called Israeli government agencies were a violation of New Zealand sovereignty.
The Israelis, Uriel Zosha Kelman and Eli Cara, deny working for Mossad.
They did plead guilty to attempting to gain New Zealand passports illegally and working with organised criminal gangs.
In a statement to the Auckland court trying the men, Ms Clark said she would suspend government visits to Israel, Israeli officials would need visas to enter New Zealand and foreign ministry contacts would be suspended.
Her government is also planning to refuse any request for Israel's President, Moshe Katsav, to visit next month when he is due in Australia and delay its approval for the appointment of a new Israeli ambassador to New Zealand.
Apology demanded
Ms Clark said she had no doubt the two men were Israeli intelligence agents and that the case was "far more than simple criminal behaviour by two individuals".
She said the case had "seriously strained our relationship" with Israel. New Zealand had asked Israel for an explanation and an apology, but had received neither.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said he was sure that Israel could repair the diplomatic damage and re-establish good relations with New Zealand, but did not specify how the Israeli government would go about it.
A BBC correspondent in Jerusalem, David Chazan, says Israeli officials give the impression of regarding New Zealand as a relatively unimportant country. Sources close to the government say the Israeli reaction might have been different if a larger and more influential country had been involved.
The two Israelis were arrested in March after they tried to collect a passport in the name of a New Zealand national who is a wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy victim.
Trying to obtain a passport fraudulently carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment in New Zealand.
News agency reports say the two Israelis received lighter sentences because they pleaded guilty.
They also agreed to donate ($A50,000) $US32,700 to a local cerebral palsy charity.
Originally posted by: Frenchie
Youre naive if you think that Israel is the only country to have a mole in our government or to think that our government doesnt have moles in other countries governements....
Originally posted by: Drift3r
Originally posted by: Frenchie
Youre naive if you think that Israel is the only country to have a mole in our government or to think that our government doesnt have moles in other countries governements....
So that makes it okay.....sure right.
Originally posted by: Drift3r
Originally posted by: Frenchie
Youre naive if you think that Israel is the only country to have a mole in our government or to think that our government doesnt have moles in other countries governements....
So that makes it okay.....sure right.
Originally posted by: Frenchie
Ummm...yeah, pretty much. All's fair...
Originally posted by: Drift3r
Originally posted by: Frenchie
Youre naive if you think that Israel is the only country to have a mole in our government or to think that our government doesnt have moles in other countries governements....
So that makes it okay.....sure right.