| Alpha | | Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 9:03 am Post subject: AIPAC's Alabama Congressman has no problem with spying for |
| Date: Mon, 06 Sep 2004 19:03:01 -0700
From: "Jeffrey Blankfort" <jblankfort@earthlink.net> View Contact Details
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Subject: AIPAC's Alabama Congressman has no problem with spying for Israel
" [Artur]Davis said the allegations against Franklin may suggest illegal
activity, but not anti-American activity.
"At its height, the allegation would simply be that the information
was used to make the Israeli government aware of Iran's nuclear
program," Davis said. "There is no suggestion that this intelligence
was designed to harm American interests or to compromise
American safety."
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/040905/davis.shtml
Rep. Davis helped by group tied to spy case
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2004
By Eric Fleischauer
Decatur DAILY Staff Writer
eric@decaturdaily.com · 340-2435
Members of a lobbying group accused of channeling classified
information from an alleged spy in the Pentagon to the Israeli
government were instrumental in putting an Alabama congressman
in office.
A probe by the FBI targeted Larry Franklin, a senior analyst in a
Pentagon office dealing with Middle East af-fairs. Officials ac-cused
him of providing classified information about Iran's nuclear program
to two officials employed by the American-Israel Public Affairs
Committee.
AIPAC and the Israeli government denied the allegations. No
charges have been filed.
Whether or not Israel benefited from Franklin's alleged espionage
and backdoor lobbying, its American supporters have actively
courted U.S. congressmen for years.
The major beneficiary of pro-Israel campaign contributions in this
state has been U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham.
According to an estimate by the nonprofit Center for Responsive
Politics, Davis received $206,595 in pro-Israel contributions in
advance of the 2002 election. This despite the fact he was not an
incumbent, and despite the fact his five-term incumbent opponent,
Earl Hilliard, was also a Democrat.
Even under the conservative CRP estimate, Davis' 2002 pro-Israel
receipts were more than double his total contributions from his
previous try at Hilliard's seat, in 2000.
Seventy-six percent of Davis' contributions during the 2002 election
cycle came from outside Alabama, most from New York City.
"I received a lot of money from the Jewish community. I agree with
that," Davis said.
The contributions to Davis were higher than pro-Israel contributions
to any other candidate for the House in 2002, according to the
CRP.
Steve Weiss, head of the CRP, said the organization's
methodology in calculating pro-Israel contributions tends to
underreport them. This is the case because it must largely ignore
individual contributions.
Davis' filings with the Federal Elections Commission suggest the
pro-Israel contributions are much higher than CRP estimated.
As of March 31, 2002, according to the FEC, Davis had reported
$92,100 in political contributions. At that point, Davis' receipts were
about one-fourth of Hilliard's receipts.
In mid-April of 2002, Davis attended a series of fundraisers,
coordinated by AIPAC members, in New York City and
Washington D.C.
Davis' receipts skyrocketed. By May 15, 2002, Davis was up to
$446,821. Of the 517 individual contributions to Davis in the weeks
surrounding the fundraisers, only four came from Alabamians.
After beating Hilliard in the primary, Davis' only opposition in the
general election was a little-known Libertarian. Davis, nonetheless,
had collected receipts totaling $1.6 million by the end of the 2002
election cycle.
Hilliard, from Birmingham, knocked heads with the pro-Israel lobby
in 2001 when he and other members of the Congressional Black
Caucus took pro-Arab positions on several issues.
He said Tuesday he believes pro-Israel money won Davis the 2002
election.
The congressman-turned-lobbyist said his main concern is that pro-
Israel money tends to crowd out the voice of Arab countries, a
result he said could eventually lead to more wars in the Middle
East.
"We are being embroiled in a 3,000-year-old conflict," Hilliard said.
"Israel's influence is tremendous."
Davis actively courted AIPAC and the pro-Israel vote before the
2002 election. He spoke at five fund-raisers sponsored by AIPAC
members in New York City. This year, he had one fund-raiser
sponsored by an AIPAC member in New York City and another one
sponsored by a Birmingham AIPAC member.
Two weeks after the 2002 election, an AIPAC publication explained
why he received strong Jewish support.
"Davis has met with AIPAC activists and staff and has close ties to
members of the local and national pro-Israel community," the
publication said.
A pro-Israel PAC, To Protect Our Heritage, said in a newsletter that
it contributed money to Davis' 2002 campaign because "Hilliard has
one of the most dismal records in Congress in Israel-related
issues."
The issue is to some extent the chicken-or-egg dilemma.
Did Davis become pro-Israel to get Jewish contributions, or did the
Jewish community support him because he was pro-Israel?
"The rule of thumb with political contributions," said Davis, "is you
take positions, then organizations decide whether to back you
based on those positions. Not the other way around."
Hilliard claims that Davis developed a pro-Israel position to attract
desperately needed campaign contributions.
Davis disagrees with Hilliard, but he acknowledges the political
reality he faced in the 2002 election.
"In 2002, we were unable to raise large sums of money because
Earl Hilliard was an incumbent," Davis said. "That required us to
develop a national fund-raising strategy or forgo our ability to win
the race. So we developed a national fund-raising strategy."
Davis said whatever AIPAC's involvement in alleged espionage, he
had no relationship with the committee.
"I have never accepted money from AIPAC," Davis explained. "My
relationship has been with donors who are members of AIPAC."
Despite its name, AIPAC is not a political action committee. It
cannot legally contribute to candidates, but it can — and does —
recommend that its members make contributions.
The Fiscal Year 2005 Defense Appropriations bill, approved by the
Senate, included more than $300 million for joint U.S.-Israel
weapons programs. It also included $2.22 billion in military aid to
Israel. In 2004, Israel received $2.16 billion in military aid.
Hilliard said these numbers indicate the power of AIPAC.
"Everyone (in Congress) is scared of it," Hilliard said. "They are
afraid the same thing that happened to me will happen to them."
Davis said the allegations against Franklin may suggest illegal
activity, but not anti-American activity.
"At its height, the allegation would simply be that the information
was used to make the Israeli government aware of Iran's nuclear
program," Davis said. "There is no suggestion that this intelligence
was designed to harm American interests or to compromise
American safety."
One of Decatur's congressmen, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-
Huntsville, said the allegations against AIPAC disturbed him, but
"regarding campaign contributions, I have followed the Federal
Election Commission's guidelines."
Cramer received $50,400 in pro-Israel contributions since 1996.
Decatur's other congressman, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-
Haleyville, has received $36,500 from pro-Israel groups and
individuals since 1996.
Aderholt said he accepts pro-Israel contributions and supports
Israel legislatively, in part, because it is the only democracy in the
Middle East.
"When I go into churches in the 4th District," Aderholt said, "there
are only two countries I pray for: Israel and the United States."
THE DECATUR DAILY
201 1st Ave. SE
P.O. Box 2213
Decatur, Ala. 35609
(256) 353-4612 | |
