Intern Spy Probe

87-Member Minority Caucus: Muslim 'Intern Spy' Hunt Smacks Of McCarthy Era

Justin Elliott | October 23, 2009, 4:36PM

Rep. Barbara Lee (at podium) with other members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus.

In a strongly-worded statement today, the Congressional Tri-Caucus, which represents three minority caucuses, denounced a call by four GOP lawmakers for an investigation into whether Muslim "intern spies" have infiltrated the Hill.

"These charges smack of an America of sixty years ago where lists of 'un-American' agitators were identified," said Reps. Michael Honda (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY). They are the chairs of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Black Caucus, and the Hispanic Caucus, respectively.

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Stewart Nozette

Did Alleged Spy's Moonlighting For Israel Raise Red Flag For Counterintel Officials?

Justin Elliott | October 22, 2009, 5:36PM

Stewart Nozette

How could a top government scientist with clearance to view a dizzying range of Top Secret weapons and technology information simultaneously work for an aerospace firm owned by a foreign government?

The question is prompted by one of the more curious sections of the criminal complaint against Stewart Nozette, who is accused of passing classified information to a person he believed was an Israeli agent.

"It's hard to imagine that there are many individuals who had a broader cross section of classified access -- overhead reconnaissance, signals intelligence, space technology, and nuclear weapons," secrecy expert Steven Aftergood told TPMmuckraker. "He was all over the place, probably because he was an exceptionally skilled and competent technologist," says Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy of the Federation of American Scientists.

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John Shadegg

GOP Reps File Request With Sergeant At Arms For Muslim 'Intern Spy' Investigation

Justin Elliott | October 22, 2009, 4:20PM

Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), Rep. Paul Broun, (R-GA), Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), and Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ)

After a week delay, four Republican lawmakers have formally asked the House sergeant at arms to investigate whether a Muslim advocacy group placed interns in national security committees, a spokesperson for the sergeant at arms confirmed to TPMmuckraker this afternoon.

Spokesperson Kerri Hanley would only say that a letter requesting a probe of the Council on American Islamic Relations was received today and that it is under review.

The letter, which you can read in full here, claims that CAIR is tied to "HAMAS" and cites the new WND-published book Muslim Mafia, written by a man who has labeled President Obama "Muslim":

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Steve Buyer

Fore! Was Iffy Foundation A Vehicle To Support GOP Rep's Golf Habit?

Justin Elliott | October 22, 2009, 11:43AM

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN)

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) has long been a passionate golfer. Last year, Golf Digest ranked the lawmaker 32nd, with a handicap of 5.6, on its list of the top 200 golfers in Washington.

Like many members of Congress, Buyer has a history of mixing business and pleasure on the golf course. Now, it looks like the financial dealings of a questionable foundation created by Buyer were even more golf-driven than previously known.

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Bernard Kerik

Ex-Commissioner Kerik's Mug Shot Released; NYC Tabloids Revel

Justin Elliott | October 21, 2009, 5:48PM

Fmr. NYC Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik

Former New York Police commissioner, Homeland Security secretary nominee, and beefsteak dinner honoree Bernie Kerik is now inmate 210717 at the Westchester County jail, after a judge revoked Kerik's bail yesterday.

The New York Post declares, "Bernie Kerik in the clink." The Daily News blows up the mug shot to grotesque pixelation.

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Ken Calvert

Report: FBI Looking At Land Deal Linked To Rep. Calvert

Justin Elliott | October 21, 2009, 2:34PM

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)

An FBI agent has been poking around in southern California looking at a lawsuit over land bought by a group including Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported Friday. But Calvert says he has not been contacted by the FBI and the dispute that is the subject of the lawsuit has nothing to do with his group.

The Press-Enterprise reported:

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Stewart Nozette

AP: Investigators Thought Scientist Was Working For A Foreign Government

Justin Elliott | October 21, 2009, 11:50AM

Stewart Nozette

Investigators began looking at a possible espionage case against Stewart Nozette after they "found indications" in a separate case that he was working for a foreign government, an anonymous law enforcement official told the AP yesterday.

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Birthers

Birther Taitz Decries 'Political Lynching' In New Filing Against Judge's $20K Fine

Justin Elliott | October 21, 2009, 9:13AM

Orly Taitz

In a colorful eight-page filing, Birther attorney Orly Taitz declares that she will appeal a federal judge's $20,000 fine, which she was ordered to pay within 30 days last week.

In his lengthy order imposing the fine, Judge Clay Land promised to authorize the U.S. Attorney to "to commence collection proceedings" if Taitz did not pay the fine. So stay tuned -- we may be building up to some kind of climactic final showdown.

Here's a taste of Taitz's latest (bolded text in original):

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Stewart Nozette

Could The Israeli Spy Case Really Be An Indian Spy Case?

Justin Elliott | October 20, 2009, 5:15PM

Stewart David Nozette

Since the Feds unsealed a criminal complaint against a former high level NASA scientist yesterday, charging him with attempted espionage, media interest has focused on the Israel angle: an FBI employee posed as a Mossad agent and gave Stewart Nozette money for classified satellite information.

Even the Justice Department's press release on the arrest played up the Mossad ploy, while noting that Israel is not accused of breaking any laws.

But a curious section in the criminal complaint suggests that there was a foreign country -- identified only as "Country A" -- to which Nozette may have passed information.

And there's circumstantial evidence suggesting one "Country A" candidate is India.

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Bernard Kerik

Bernie Kerik Jailed As Judge Revokes Bail In Corruption Case

Justin Elliott | October 20, 2009, 1:48PM

Fmr. NYC Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik

A federal judge has revoked $500,000 bail for former NYC police commissioner Bernard Kerik in his corruption case and ordered him to jail, Fox reports.

Prosecutors allege that Kerik got renovations on his co-op in the Bronx in exchange for recommending the construction company for city contracts. The trial in the case is set to begin Monday.

Fox 5 in New York reports:

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Frontier Foundation

About Face: Buyer Admits Ties To Questionable Foundation, Posh Golf Junkets

Justin Elliott | October 19, 2009, 3:52PM

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) golfing in 2006

Last we checked, Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) was maintaining that he had nothing more than a casual connection to the Frontier Foundation, which has collected lots of money from industry groups seeking to curry favor with Buyer, spent a lot on travel, meals, and salary, but given out nothing for its stated purpose of helping students get through college.

Now, after several media outlets questioned the legitimacy of the setup, Buyer is pushing back and he has a totally new story: the foundation is his, after all, and his selfless efforts to help poor Indiana children are now the focus of "vicious and ugly" attacks.

Oh yeah, and even though everything is on the up-and-up, Buyer has decided to review the foundation's activities and potentially change how it operates.

But wait, there's more!

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Muslim Mafia

GOP Lawmakers Dawdle While Muslim 'Intern Spies' May Be Conspiring Further

Justin Elliott | October 19, 2009, 12:34PM

Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), Rep. Paul Broun, (R-GA), Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), and Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ)

Four Republican lawmakers have not submitted a request to the House sergeant at arms to investigate a threat that one of the four described as a terrorist-linked group possibly "running influence operations or planting spies in key national security-related offices."

A spokesperson for the sergeant at arms told TPMmuckraker this morning that the office was aware of the charge by GOP members at a press conference Wednesday that the Council on American-Islamic Relations planted Muslim intern spies on the Hill for purposes of subversion. But, says spokesperson Kerri Hanley, the office hasn't received a request for an investigation, and it wouldn't launch any probe until such a request is made.

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American Private Police Force

Reporter-Turned-APPF Spokesperson Becky Shay Is Now On The Job Market

Justin Elliott | October 19, 2009, 9:54AM

Becky Shay

Becky Shay, the beleaguered spokesperson for the American Private Police Force who as recently as last week was a true believer in her company and its felon leader, never received a paycheck for her work and is now gunning for a job as the chief of the Hardin, MT, agency that made the jail deal with APPF in the first place.

The AP reported Friday, in an article that refers to APPF's Michael Hilton as a "con artist":

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