Calif.'s Harman Rails Against Wiretapping That Ensnared Her [View All]

[Scurrilous]

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"Rep. Jane Harman vowed yesterday to clear her name after the revelation of a wiretapped conversation in which she reportedly agreed to intervene in the federal investigation of two pro-Israeli lobbyists in exchange for help in getting a coveted congressional post.

The California Democrat noted that she had called on the Justice Department to release all the information it had about secretly monitored conversations that involved her.

"I want it all out there. I want it in public. I want everyone to understand, including me, what has happened," Harman said before a packed auditorium at the opening of the annual policy convention of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby group.

News organizations reported last month that Harman was caught on a wiretap speaking to a suspected Israeli agent about two AIPAC lobbyists accused of illegally passing classified information to foreign officials and reporters. The congresswoman reportedly agreed to press Bush administration officials to show leniency toward the men, the reports said. In return, the suspected agent said he would lobby for Harman to get the chairmanship of the House intelligence committee, according to the article, first reported on the Congressional Quarterly Web site.

The FBI opened a preliminary investigation of Harman at the time but later closed it, officials said. The congresswoman, a longtime AIPAC supporter, has denied contacting the White House or Justice Department about the two lobbyists. Harman was passed over for the intelligence committee chairmanship when Democrats took control of the House in 2006."

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