Greg Sargent has been all over this story (though I would dispute his insistence that opposition to Freeman comes from the “pro-Israel lobby and the neocons,” which leaves out some of Freeman’s most prominent critics like Chait and Goldberg) and now reports that Freeman is meeting with the full House Select Intelligence Committee this afternoon. The meeting, according to Republican spokesman Jamal Ware, is specifically “about the issues that have been raised” with regard to Freeman’s controversial views and complicated financial relationships with Saudi Arabia, the People’s Republic of China, and who knows what other authoritarian regimes through his work for Projects International. Though I disagree with Sargent’s characterization of Freeman’s opponents, I think he’s exactly right to say that the issue is coming to a head, and the current flurry of activity seems to indicate that Democrats are on the verge of coming out against the appointment or making their peace with it and providing the administration some minimal amount of cover.
