Rep. Jane Harman is denying the report that she promoted the Bush administration's warrantless wiretap program after, ironically, being caught on a wiretap in a quid-pro-quo deal. Harman's office released the following statement:
The CQ Politics story simply recycles three year-old discredited reporting of largely unsourced material to manufacture a ’scoop’ out of widely known and unremarkable facts – that Congresswoman Jane Harman is and has long been a supporter of AIPAC, and that some members of AIPAC regarded her as well-qualified to chair the House Intelligence Committee following the 2006 elections. Congresswoman Harman has never contacted the Justice Department about its prosecution of present or former AIPAC employees and the Department has never informed her that she was or is the subject of or involved in an investigation. If there is anything about this story that should arouse concern, it is that the Bush Administration may have been engaged in electronic surveillance of members of the congressional Intelligence Committees.
But the CQ article said:
Harman responded that Gonzales would be a difficult task, because he "just follows White House orders," but that she might be able to influence lesser officials, according to an official who read the transcript.
Her saying she never contacted the Justice Department may be meaningless. And again, it didn't have to be someone from Department of Justice who told her (aka blackmailed) about the investigation.
But if she's so sure of herself, maybe she could call for the transcript to be released?
Update: And it should be noted that it's rich that Harman, a staunch supporter of Bush's wiretaps, is suddenly concerned about allegedly innocent people being caught up in the program.
