AP: FBI Sent Hamas Money in Clinton Days

[arcos]

AP: FBI Sent Hamas Money in Clinton Days

While President Clinton (news - web sites) was trying to broker an elusive peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the FBI (news - web sites) was secretly funneling money to suspected Hamas figures to see if the militant group would use it for terrorist attacks, according to interviews and court documents.

The counterterrorism operation in 1998 and 1999 was run out of the FBI's Phoenix office in cooperation with Israeli intelligence and was approved by Attorney General Janet Reno (news - web sites), FBI officials told The Associated Press.

Several thousand dollars in U.S. money was sent to suspected terror supporters during the operation as the FBI tried to track the flow of cash through terror organizations, the FBI said in a rare acknowledgment of an undercover sting that never resulted in prosecutions.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=542&e=3&u=/ap/20031006/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/fbi_hamas_money

[Orrin_73]

1. No, Why dont I believe it

Another "blame Clinton" trick used by the reich wing, Im getting sick and tired of this.

[loudnclear]

11. The 'fair and balanced media' did not headline that Clinton knew nothing

about this renegade operation. Louis Freeh at his best...an inside the FBI Israeli operative with power and access, unchecked.

[Selwynn]

12. No, its not an allegation, its documented, and it wasn't wrong

It was an attempt to infiltrate the organization, track money, uncover terrorist pathways, etc. It's not that the facts aren't true - its just the conclusions the "right" may try to infer from it.

[Unknown Known]

2. Louis Freeh ran a rogue FBI in the '90's

but this is the "blame Clinton first" crowd trying again to sully Clinton's name. But this was a Louis Freeh action and he constantly worked against Clinton.

[MoonAndSun]

3. Why hasn't Louie Freeh ever been hauled before Congress and

forced to answer questions on his failures on terrorism in the 90's. He was too busy trying to destroy Bill to do his job.

[ScotTissue]

4. It was a sting operation: not bad

Why not see what Hamas is up to? There is nothing to apologize for here.

[Mokito]

5. That was my impression too

Create a temptation...by granting them traceable money.
If they bite and spend it on terrorist activities then enough is known.

[bleedingheart]

6. I agree... this was a sting operation. Maybe it didn't work but

hell...at least they were trying to find out what was going on.

[Bozola]

7. You've gotta use a little money to trace the flow...

This is a perfectly legitimate use of a "few thousand dollars". The benefit a terrorist organization would get out of the cash is far less than the benefit of knowing who launders and process the cash.

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. As opposed to the $43 million

Bu$h gave to the Taliban in May, 2001?

Several thousand bucks for good intel is a real bargain in comparision.

[TacticalPeek]

10. That Taliban dough was the Big Christian's pay-off

for trashing those heathen statues.

[Wetzelbill]

9. Why not? Ariel Sharon did

[cthrumatrix]

13. We'll never know the truth. I think this all goes back to "control"

through terror....you can control people and govt. when they are under the threat of terror.

Anything is possible after hearing from FBI "whistlblowers" how investigations only went so far...and stopped.

I would like to see this play out.