Rep. calls for Freeman investigation (UPDATED)
A New York congressman is calling for an investigation of newly appointed National Intelligence Council head Chas Freeman and his ties to the Saudi government. Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), a member of the Select Oversight Panel of the House Appropriations Committee, has sent a letter to the inspector general for the Ofrfice of the Director of National Intelligence asking to look into reports of the Saudi funding of the Middle East Policy Council, where Freeman served as president. (UPDATE: Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) has been circulating a similar letter among his colleagues.) Here's the full letter:
Mr. Edward Maguire
Inspector General
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Washington, DC 20511
Dear Mr. Maguire:
As a member of the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel on the House Appropriations Committee I am writing to convey my deep concern over the appointment of Charles Freeman as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council and to ask for your office to conduct an investigation into his relationships with the Saudi government.
As you know, the position of head of the National Intelligence Council is responsible for producing National Intelligence Estimates -- the premier intelligence assessments of the Intelligence Community. In a position as critical as this we need to ensure that American interests are being served and that no one in the position has established ties to other governments or entities materially supported by foreign governments.
While I fully respect Ambassador Freeman's right to express views with which I disagree as a private citizen, I am concerned about reports of his position as President of the Middle East Policy Council, a think-tank funded by the Saudi Government.
I am also discouraged by seemingly prejudicial public statements Freeman has made regarding the Middle East, including these excerpts of a speech in 2006:
"For the past half decade Israel has enjoyed carte blanche from the United States to experiment with any policy it favored to stabilize its relations with the Palestinians and its other Arab neighbors, including most recently its efforts to bomb Lebanon into peaceful coexistence with it and to smother Palestinian democracy in its cradle. The suspension of the independent exercise of American judgment about what best serves our interests as well as those of Israelis and Arabs has caused the Arabs to lose confidence in the United States as a peace partner. To their credit, they have therefore stepped forward with their own plan for a comprehensive peace. By sad contrast, the American decision to let Israel call the shots in the Middle East has revealed how frightened Israelis now are of their Arab neighbors and how reluctant this fear has made them to risk respectful coexistence with the other peoples of their region. The results of the experiment are in: left to its own devices, the Israeli establishment will make decisions that harm Israelis, threaten all associated with them, and enrage those who are not... Tragically, despite all the advantages and opportunities Israel has had over the fifty-nine years of its existence, it has failed to achieve concord and reconciliation with anyone in its region, still less to gain their admiration or affection."
I distinctly remember Director Blair committing in his confirmation hearing he would ensure unbiased intelligence assessments free of political influence.
I ask that you immediately investigate Ambassador Freeman's relationship with the Saudi government and report such findings to me immediately.Sincerely,
Steve Israel
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Liz Berney for Congress
03/01/09 04:01 PM
We already know enough about Chas Freeman to make it clear that Obama’s appointment of Freeman as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council is a danger to U.S. national security, the security of our allies, and human rights throughout the world, and should be terminated immediately.
Freeman’s service on the payroll of Saudi Arabia and his outrageous statement quoted in Congressman Steve Israel’s letter, in which Freeman falsely acccused Israel of smothering Palestinian democracy and absurdly accused Israel of failing to reach accord with its neighbors (despite the fact that Israel entered into agreements with Egypt, Jordan, and 5 agreements with the Palestinians which the Palestinians continue to violate), should be more than enough reason to terminate Freeman’s appointment to the sensitive post charged with preparing our National Intelligence Estimates.
But it’s even worse than that. Freeman’s record also includes serving on the payroll of the People’s Republic of China and Iran, justifying the Tianamen Square massacre, constantly attacking Taiwan, making statements to the effect that our engagement in Afghanistan should ignore human rights issues (that would include the abysmal treatment of women for years), praising Mearsheimer & Walt’s factually inaccurate Israel-bashing book, “The Israel Lobby,” having his organization publish an “unabridged” version of this libelous book, and engaging in even more extreme Israel bashing of his own, including blaming the very existence of Israel (which he calls the “occupation") as a justification for Palestinian violence.
Freeman stated: “Israeli occupation and settlement of Arab lands is inherently violent ... And as long as such Israeli violence against Palestinians continues, it is utterly unrealistic to expect that Palestinians will stand down from violent resistance and retaliation against Israelis.” (Remarks to the 14th Annual US-Arab Policymakers Conference The National Council on US-Arab Relations, Washington, D.C., September 12, 2005).
And: “We wring our hands while sitting on them as the Jewish state continues to seize ever more Arab land for its colonists. This has convinced most Palestinians that Israel cannot be appeased.” (Oct 4, 2007 Remarks to Pacific Council on International Policy)
And, then there were Freeman’s statements blaming the U.S. for 9-11:
“One lesson of September 11th that we need to recall more than any other is that if we attack someone else’s homeland in this day and age, we can expect that our own homeland will be attacked. We know that if we attack Saddam he will use weapons of mass destruction in whatever way he can. We don’t know, however,what preparations he’s made.”
And Freeman’s insistence: “And what of America’s lack of introspection about September 11? Instead of asking what might have caused the attack, or questioning the propriety of the national response to it, there is an ugly mood of chauvinism. Before Americans call on others to examine themselves, we should examine ourselves.”
And Freeman’s apology for al Quaeda: “Instead of addressing al Qaeda’s case against our direct and indirect interventions in the Arab and Islamic worlds, we have ascribed to it an ideology that does not exist.” (Oct. 4, 2007 Remarks to Pacific Council on Interanational Relations)
And then there were Freeman’s statements that we should help the Shiites (Iran) win fast in Iraq.
The list of Freeman’s awful statements goes on and on, revealing biases which make him a terrible choice for determining our national security appraisals. Obama’s refusal to terminate his dangerous appointment of Chas Freeman despite the public outcry over Freeman’s record also says much about the agenda and leanings of our President.