Blogger says FBI wiretapped Israeli Embassy

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"A blogger has told The New York Times that an FBI translator gave him transcripts of conversations that were recorded by FBI wiretaps in the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

The translator, Shamai Leibowitz, was sentenced last year to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to leaking classified documents. FBI officials would not describe what information was leaked.

Richard Silverstein, who writes a blog on Israeli-Arab relations, told the Times he received about 200 pages from Leibowitz. He says they included transcripts of telephone calls and conversations from the Israeli Embassy, including one in which Israeli officials express concerns that they are being monitored.

In a story on the Times website Monday, Silverstein said Leibowitz leaked the documents because he was concerned about Israeli efforts to influence U.S. lawmakers."

http://online.wsj.com/article/APa2e0039712434e5894435fc5e5b1e2c6.html



Leak Offers Look at Efforts by U.S. to Spy on Israel

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/us/06leak.html


Richard Silverstein makes the front page of the NYTimes! :thumbsup:

[Fuddnik]

1. Sent to prison for what everyone knows anyway.

The FBI taps, or tries to tap everyone's Embassy.

[leveymg]

2. We knew that from the OSP-AIPAC case as well as Jane Harman's " waddle in" intercept.

Not, in itself, news, but you have to give the NYT headline writer the chutzpah award for turning Israeli spying out of its Embassy in DC onto its head. The FBI is conducting counter-intelligence, it's the Israelis who are spying and carrying out political influence operations here.

Richard deserves the recognition. He works very hard and is good at what he does.

[henank]

3. What an amazing example of newspeak

Even when Israel is spied upon, it somehow "proves" that Israel is doing the spying. Israel can never win can it? Israel can only ever do evil, can't it.

[leveymg]

4. Is it spying when the FBI intercepts calls to the Chinese Embassy or the Iranian Interest Section?

Is there a difference other than your own loyalties?

[Shaktimaan]

13. of course.

that is exactly spying.

[Mosby]

5. did silverstein break any laws?

I think he did, in addition to his amoral behavior. Is he a citizen of Israel? If he is he is now a traitor.

[azurnoir]

6. 'strange' right winger Yisrael Medad did an OP in JPost about exactly the same thing n/t

[YMedad]

22. strange

Please define "strange"? At least that I understand.

[shaayecanaan]

8. Another heart-warming post from one of our "Obama-type liberals" (nt)

[Mosby]

9. In case you haven't noticed - Obama is the Democratic POTUS

Not sure what the fuck you keep going on about.

[shaayecanaan]

7. Some good stuff in there...

"Mr. Silverstein said he remembered that embassy officials talked about drafting opinion articles to be published under the names of American supporters."

Please jesus. Say it ain't so.

Well done to Richard, he seems to be making quite a name for himself. His numerous detractors on this site and elsewhere must be just about going monkeybananas right now.

[azurnoir]

10. here is part Medad's piece

Will blogger Silverstein face criminal charges?

So, Silverstein, to my reading, who has a problematic public posture, and has been embroiled in blogosphere contrtemps and who has blocked me from his site, admits, one could think, to being a chief participant in the events that sent Leibowitz to prison. He seems to be, upon his own confession, the recipient of and still the possessor of classified US intelligence information. He is, it appears, the previously unnamed “blogger.”

Silverstein claims to have burned the transcripts when Leibowitz came under investigation. Is that a fair case to be prosecuted for obstruction of justice?

Is Silverstein's claims that Leibowitz’s motives were pure and good, because they were to hurt Israel rather than hurt the United States, a defense against prosecution and eventual conviction?

They didn't help Leibowitz. Why then should they assist Silverstein?

Will the US Attorney-General or another federal prosecutor now initiate criminal proceedings against Silverstein?

And if not, why?
^
http://blogs.jpost.com/content/will-blogger-silverstein-face-criminal-charges

[shaayecanaan]

11. Presumably they would also need to jail the Washington Post staff for publishing the Pentagon papers

as well as the staff of the Guardian, Le Monde and the New York Times for publishing Wikileaks.

I don't know why we even bother responding to these right wing toadies Obama-type liberals when they're this transparent.

[azurnoir]

12. The US very rarely prosecutes secondary involvment such as Silverstein's

and the prosecution and sentencing of Leibowitz were well over a year ago perhaps Medad is hoping on mounting some sort of campaign to those ends

I have wondered however if Leibowitz will also be facing some kind of charges in Israel as he is a citizen and it was information on their embassy that he leaked

[oberliner]

14. This guy is pretty rabidly anti-Obama and is certainly not a liberal

Not sure why you would categorize him as such.

[Violet_Crumble]

16. It's a reference to Barry Rubin being called an 'Obama type liberal'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=359681&mesg_id=359696

[oberliner]

19. This character is way to the right of Barry Rubin

Have you seen his blog?

He is a hard-core settler.

[Violet_Crumble]

20. I just took a quick look at his blog...

I got as far as him starting to talk about how the Occupied Territories could be described as 'liberated', and embracing Glenn Beck who he claims is just trying to help Israel save itself, and then I backed out real quick...

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Violet_Crumble]

24. Right-wing ugliness and stupidity doesn't scare me...

I've got two suggestions for you:

1. Change the location in yr profile to reflect reality. Shiloh is a settlement in the West Bank and not part of Israel.

2. Read the DU rules on who is and isn't welcome here.

[oberliner]

15. Why did he burn the documents?

Why not publish them rather than just giving an interview months (years?) after he burned them talking about what he remembers them saying?

Seems weird that he wouldn't just publish them a la Wikileaks or at least hold on to them since he believes their content to be so significant and damning (from what he remembers).

[Violet_Crumble]

17. I can ask him if you like...

Let me know if you want me to, and I'll let you know what he says...

on edit: I just read a comment on his blog that asked the same question, and here's what he said:

'My goal wasn’t to harm U.S. interests which I would’ve done by publishing them. My goal also wasn’t to harm my source which this would’ve done far more quickly had I done so. My source asked me to destroy the documents & I did so.'

http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2011/09/06/leibowitz-leak-story-in-ny-times/#comments

[oberliner]

18. Thanks for posting that

The whole story is quite interesting.

[Violet_Crumble]

21. I've only just started reading about it tonight...

..but my initial reaction has been that wiretapping a foreign embassy, especially one that's an ally, seems wrong to me.