House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., came to the defense of Rep. Jane Harman, the former top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who was wiretapped by federal investigators for supposedly trying to get the sentences of two pro-Israel agents reduced in exchange for help in securing the spy panel’s chairmanship.
Pelosi, speaking to a group of reporters at an event sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, called Harman “a patriotic American” who “would never do anything to harm her country.”
Pelosi confirmed that she was told of the wiretap involving Harman when it was conducted in 2005 under a law requiring that the top party leaders in Congress be informed of surveillance involving a lawmaker.
But Pelosi insisted this news did not influence her decision to bypass Harman for the top spot on Intelligence, which was up for grabs at the time. Pelosi instead gave the gavel to Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, who was much further down the seniority list. Pelosi said that she passed on Harman because Democratic rules limit participation on the committee to two terms, and Harman had reached that limit.
Pelosi said that she was not told by federal investigators why they were eavesdropping on Harman.
“All they said was that Jane Harman was wiretapped,” Pelosi said.
The wiretap was conducted by officials from the National Security Administration. They supposedly heard Harman offering to talk to the Justice Department about reducing espionage charges against the two agents, who worked for the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee. In exchange, AIPAC would lobby Pelosi about giving Harman the Intelligence Committee gavel.
