Between the News Headlines

Along with the unfolding and extraordinary news stories from the Middle East, we have been following our own threads which lead to underreported—if not totally ignored—issues and concerns.

One example: CNI Executive Director, Phil Giraldi wrote about the FBI's handling of an informant, a Turkish and Farsi translator for the FBI. Sibel Edmonds was fired
 from the FBI after she raised concerns that one of the translators in her section
was under investigation for bribing senior government officials and members of Congress, drug trafficking, illegal weapons sales, money laundering, and nuclear proliferation. 

Phil's exposé includes this astonishing exchange:

GIRALDI: You map out a corruption scheme involving U.S. government
employees [who] were able to obtain information that was either used directly
by those foreign governments or sold to third parties, with the proceeds often
 used as bribes to breed further corruption. Let's start with the first government
official you identified, Marc Grossman, then the third highest-ranking official
 at the State Department.

SIBEL EDMONDS: Grossman became a person of interest early on while
he was the U.S. ambassador to Turkey [1994-97] and when he became
personally involved with operatives both from the Turkish government
and from suspected criminal groups. He also had suspicious contact
with a number of official and non-official Israelis. 

***

Please note that Hillary Clinton has appointed Marc Grossman her special Afghanistan/Pakistan representative to replace Richard Holbrooke.
Here are more excerpts from Phil's blockbuster story: 

***

GIRALDI: What kind of information was Grossman giving to foreign countries? It's also been reported that he was the conduit to a group of congressmen who become, in a sense, the targets to be recruited as "agents of influence."

EDMONDS: The top person obtaining classified information was Congressman Tom Lantos. A Lantos associate, Alan Makovsky worked very closely with Dr. Sabri Sayari in Georgetown University, who is widely believed to be a Turkish spy. Lantos would give Makovsky highly classified policy-related documents obtained during defense briefings for passage to Israel because Makovsky was also working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

***

Although Mr. Grossman has denied involvement in any illegal activity, the charges made by Ms. Edmonds have never actually been refuted. Presumably there is an FBI file
on the Grossman case. Did Secretary of State Hillary Clinton check out Grossman to determine if the charges made by Sibel Edmonds have any validity or not? If she did not,
 Mrs. Clinton is guilty of gross dereliction of duty and might be responsible for
placing a possibly corrupt individual in a position that is critical to the conduct of US foreign policy. 

I'm asking you to do three things with this startling information. 

1. Contact your Congressman and ask him specifically about the cloud of suspicion that hangs over Grossman via these internet services House or Senate or by mail: Representative ___ at United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515; Senator ___ at U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510 

2. Please forward this e-mail to friends and family members you believe should know about this appalling situation.

3. If you have not renewed your commitment to CNI, now is the time to do so.
 We depend on your continuing support in our ongoing efforts to uncover and
 publicize the behind-the-scenes making of U.S. foreign policy.
 Your tax-deductible gift of $100, $50 or even $35 is crucial right now.

Whether or not you can give, I will update you on other aspects of the Middle East crises—and there are many to review—very shortly. In the meantime, if you are able, please send a sacrificial donation of $1000, $500, $100 or just $35 today.

Gratefully,

Alison Weir

Alison Weir, President

Council for the National Interest

P.S. President Obama's 2012 budget request to Congress includes a record-breaking request for $3.075 billion in military aid to Israel. Our voice is indispensable in the 2012 foreign aid debate. Will you help us be heard?

P.P.S. A new Rasmussen Reports survey shows that 68% of the American public feel strongly that the U.S. should stay out of the political crisis engulfing the Middle East. Help us reach those voters and taxpayers with a contribution of $35, $100 or even $1000.
I hope to hear from you soon.