Duke Cunningham and Turkey

In this post, I looked at the Public Citizen report into Livingston, and noted that Duke Cunningham had tried to strip $1billion from the budget that was designated to go to Turkey, I said:

"The effort re the $1billion appropriation is kinda interesting. This happened immediately after the iraq invasion, and Duke Cunningham was trying to cut Turkey's $1bn - ostensibly in retaliation for Turkey blocking American access to Iraq, (but more likely someone offered the Duke something in return for this favor.)"

Now, Miguel has just sent through this from Madsen (yeah, we know) from Sep 05:

"September 28, 2005 -- After the bogus Iraqi intelligence scandal comes this: CIA Director Porter Goss is now accepting politicized intelligence from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). Porter Goss's successor as HPSCI chairman, Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, has stated that his committee is now providing "intelligence" to the CIA from sources who have no way of directly providing it to the embattled intelligence agency. Goss, it should be pointed out, brought several GOP political hacks with him to Langley, including Dick Cheney's former spokesperson and Bush-Cheney 04 operative Jennifer Millerwise and Goss's former HPSCI Executive Director Michael Kostiw, a former CIA officer who resigned in 1981 after he shoplifted a $2.13 package of bacon from a supermarket near CIA headquarters. These and other Goss political hacks have made damaging decisions that are resulting in a mass departure of seasoned and experienced intelligence officers from the CIA. Intelligence insiders report that Goss's decision to accept tainted political "intelligence" from the HPSCI has contributed to plummeting morale at Langley. For example, a number of HPSCI members are also members of special House caucuses that are established by lobbyists to push agendas to further the agendas of other nations. The most powerful are caucuses representing the interests of Israel, Turkey, South Korea, Greece, and India.

For example, HPSCI members who are also members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues include Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Mike Rogers (R-MI), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rush Holt (R-NJ), and John Tierney (D-MA). Any "intelligence" provided to members by such a group would certainly bear the imprimatur of the Armenian government. Eshoo, Holt, and Tierney are also members of the Congressional Caucus for India and Indian-Americans. Cunningham, Tierney, and Jo Ann Davis (R-VA) are members of the anti-Turkish Hellenic (Greek) Caucus. The Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans, which has close connections to the Turkish government and intelligence, as well as the American Turkish Council and Turkey's chief lobbying firm Livingston Associates, counts among its HPSCI members ranking Democrat Jane Harman (D-CA), second and third ranking Democrats Alcee Hastings Hastings (D-FL) and Sylvestre Reyes (D-TX), respectively, and Jo Ann Davis (R-VA). In addition, HPSCI Chairman Hoekstra's passport bears Turkish entry and exit visas. He is also a member of the House Baltic Caucus...."

I wonder what the Duke charged for that? He probably could have got more from the Turks. I wonder if he had an Armenian 'bribe menu'?

Of more import is this scary line: "Hoekstra of Michigan, has stated that his committee is now providing "intelligence" to the CIA from sources who have no way of directly providing it to the embattled intelligence agency"

jeebus.

I hope Harman is getting well paid for her efforts - she was on the Talkies on Sunday saying how terrific it is that Bush & Cheney are spying on people, and more specifically, without oversight.