The recent Democratic Party take-over of the House and Senate has opened new leadership positions in many key committees. Representative Jane Harman is a six-term member of Congress who was widely thought to be next in line to head the House Intelligence Committee. However, Israeli-American media mogul Haim Saban’s behind-the-scenes lobbying for Harmon on behalf of the Israel lobby and a US Department of Justice Investigation into this influence peddling has placed a Harmon chairmanship in jeopardy. DNC chairman Howard Dean pledged to Americans that going into Iraq and militarily occupying the country was the wrong move for America. Empowering and rewarding agents of the Israel lobby that was so instrumental in driving the US into war in Iraq while laying the groundwork for US military action against Iran is not in the interest of the Democratic leadership or America. AIPAC initiatives in the 110th Congress are tainted by the prosecution of two members of the Israel lobby, Rosen and Weissman, scheduled to begin next year. Few members of Congress will find it wise to even consider AIPAC’s initiatives until the outcome of this critical trial is decided. Additional lines of prosecution stemming from the investigation of AIPAC could ultimately find, as IRmep believes, that the organization operates illegally as an unregistered foreign agent, subject to registration and oversight under the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
