Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Newsvine
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
TechnoratiSibel Edmonds is the FBI translator turned whistleblower who decided to go public late in 2002 and has been seeking to tell her story about high level corruption in the United States government involving Turkey and Israel. What makes her story particularly compelling is that the corruption relates to the theft and sale of United States defense secrets, most particularly nuclear technology. Sibel obtained her information while translating Turkish language telephone intercepts directed against several Turkish lobbying groups who had contact with senior officials in the Bush Administration, both at the Pentagon and in the State Department. Many of the officials involved are apparently the same neoconservatives who cooked the books to enable the rush to war against Iraq and who are continuing to urge more wars in the Middle East, most notably against Iran and Syria. Several of them are close allies of leading Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
To stop Sibel from telling her story, then Attorney General John Ashcroft subjected her to a state secrets privilege gag order after her appearance on CBS's 60 Minutes in October 2002 that not only forbade her providing details of her employment with FBI but also made the ban retroactive so that anything relating to her case would be considered a state secret. Edmonds had been discouraged by her experience with CBS as her most important points wound up on the cutting room floor. Then came the gag order, which she has observed while working assiduously to get bits and pieces of her story out in various ways. In October 2007 she decided to tell all without regard for the consequences, stating that she would provide details of her allegations to any American media outlet that would let her collaborate in the final edit so that her message would not be lost. There were no takers. Last month, The Sunday Times of London decided to pick up her story and has now produced a long feature article called "For Sale: the West's Deadliest Nuclear Secrets" plus two follow-ups. The story was picked up and replayed all over the world, but not by the mainstream media in the United States.
Why should Sibel be heard? Mostly because her story, if true, involves corruption at the highest levels of government coupled with the sale of secrets vital to the security of the United States. One of her claims is that a senior State Department officer who has been identified as Marc Grossman, recorded by the FBI while arranging to pick up bribes from a Turkish organization, also revealed the identity of the CIA cover company Brewster Jennings to a Turkish contact in late 2001. The Turk then passed on the information to a Pakistani intelligence officer who presumably warned the AQ Khan nuclear proliferation network that the CIA was apparently pursuing. Some might call that treason and it should be noted that it occurred two years before Robert Novak's notorious exposure of Valerie Plame and Brewster Jennings which led to the conviction of Scooter Libby.
Edmonds should also be listened to because she clearly had access to the documents that she describes and because she has proven that she is a credible witness. Two US Senators and the 9/11 Commission found her testimony and recollection of facts to be reliable, as did an FBI Inspector General's office internal investigation. More to the point, if Edmonds is telling the truth there are documents in FBI files that would confirm her account. What she is claiming, if it is all true, is fact-based, not speculative.
But the media remains silent in spite of considerable efforts to get them on board and provide some coverage of her very serious charges. Since the recent Sunday Times articles, her story has been brought to the attention of news editors at MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, to PBS's Bill Moyers, to The New York Times, The Washington Times, and to both ABC and CBS news in an attempt to arouse some interest. But there has been no response, not even a courteous "Thank you very much for contacting us...." What are so-called gadflies like Olbermann and Moyers afraid of? The suggestion that the media does not want to face the potential legal consequences of the gag order has been cited but lacks substance as much of the Sibel story is already out in public and the details of her allegations can be pieced together without actually interviewing her in violation of the state secrets privilege. Also, no one in the media has actually claimed that the lack of interest is based on the potential legal consequences. The silence has been deafening, suggesting that other forces are at work.
And it is not just the media. Congress has a responsibility to look into Edmonds' allegations. Congressman Henry Waxman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been stonewalling Edmonds and her supporters, preferring instead to look into steroids use among professional athletes. To be sure, some in the media and Congress are undoubtedly nervous because the Edmond's story involves Israel and corrupt officials both in Washington and Tel Aviv. Many of the American former and current officials involved are considered to be particularly close to the Israeli government and to the Israeli lobby AIPAC. Others fear that FBI investigative reports or wiretaps revealing illegal contributions or bribery of congressmen could open up a can of worms that many would prefer to keep closed.
Sibel's critics state that she was only a translator and clearly did not know the "big picture," which might have included a sting operation directed against the nuclear proliferators. That might be true, but if it is, it is up to the government to state flatly that such was the case. Based on my own experience, I cannot believe that senior state department or pentagon officials would have been used in any such operation both because their parent organizations would never have permitted it and because the CIA would have never sought it in the first place. The dismissal of Edmonds' argument based on her only having been a translator is also weak in that field officers in the FBI and CIA work very closely with translators when trying to discover the meaning of transcriptions of phone calls made by suspects who are deliberately trying to obscure what they are saying or double-talking. Sibel would have had to know what the case being investigated was all about to be effective as a translator, and there is no reason why she would have been denied such information.
It is possible that Sibel Edmonds has made up or embellished a story for reasons that would have to be considered unknowable, though that is not likely based on the evidence currently available. It is also possible that she has made assumptions about what she saw that ultimately will not stand scrutiny. Even if that proves to be true, she still deserves her day in court. Article III of the Constitution of the United States defines treason as giving aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States. This has been interpreted by US courts to include the selling or betrayal of defense secrets to foreign powers. Sibel Edmonds is talking about treason at the highest levels of the United State government and it is clear that a cover up is going on orchestrated by the Bush Administration that is being aided and assisted by an acquiescent media. It is time that Sibel's voice be heard.
Philip Giraldi is a recognized authority on international security and counterterrorism issues.
Copyright © 2008 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
32 Comments so far
Show AllIs this wench still dummied up because some cock-sucking Judge ordered it? What a lying bitch. If she really had something to say she would have said it. Would you not spend a little jail time to help save your own country. This wench is lying. And, the Judge ought to be hung by his own petard. God Bless America, God Damn the american slave state.
I find it interesting that our government is so eager to expose corruptness in other countries but unable to face our own. This futhers my distrust in the government and makes me wonder what is it that I'm exactly voting for? Why should I trust a government that refuses to acknowlege it's own wrongdoings? It's pretty clear that Sibel has sustantial evidence that should be heard, so why isn't she being heard? I equally believe 'Doom and gloom's' comment that Sibel made the mistake of thinking that Americans want to hear the truth...It's obvious that they don't. I give praise to Sibel for going out and making public the truth no matter what the ramifications may hold for her. And if she is making up or embellishing the story, I still think her words should be heard.
After hearing about the results of Super Tuesday, I have become increasingly worried that a Clinton nomination would charge the republican base resulting in another flawed and corrupted election. After reading this article, my skepticism and distrust of the US government only increased. While I have always been cynical of the government, it has now reached a point that is really scary. We must all now fear the consequences of denial and self-involvement. If we continue to ignore the true actions of our government, moving toward an imperialistic empire, we will all actually have a real threat to our way of life. While some of my peers find this way of thinking as dramatic or unjustified and refuse to look outside their bubbles, I think we all need to consider the possibilities. Despite how cliche, we are only as strong as the weakest sectors of society. Despite my cynicism, the inspirational speeches given by Obama had changed my outlook. I had hoped that we could start to turn this mess around. However, I fear the possibility of McCain becoming the next biased, skewed one man leader of US foreign policy. This article only further cemented that fear. Why do we let one person decide for 300 million people? Why can't we learn from the history books?
It seems highly implausible that Marc Grossman and other neocons were spreading nuclear secrets for money, as the small payoff does not square with the big penalty (hanging for treason) if they were not following very senior orders.
So, if they were following very senior orders to intentionally spread nuclear weapons technology, what does this mean?
In general terms we could only be sure that:
1. A 'faction', other than the supposed Constitutionally mandated federal government pledged to uphold American interests, is at play. Perhaps a global corporatist Empire behind this facade of 'Vichy America'.
2. That purposefully and overtly spreading nuclear weapons technology serves some interest not normally understood by most governments in a non-proliferation-centric "reality-based" world.
Such an action might only make 'sense' to an Empire that operates on an entirely different plane than reality.
As Ron Suskind quoted:
"'That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''
Sibel made the mistake of believing American's were interested in the truth. Unfortunately she now appears poised to lose here head. She will be in good company among the headless. Only there will you find America's best.
Unfortunately, for the story to get out, it requires that the media remove its head from Britney Spears nether regions. Sadly, the story only concerns critical life and death issues and not whether Britney is wearing panties or back in rehab.
This sounds really familiar. From the JFK files, Watergate, Iran/Contra affair, it's the government doing what they say is best for the people of the US, which in my opinion is never done in our best interests. Something like this cover up is used for the feds to cover their own butts.
We live in a society that requires the "truth", and here lies a perfect example why we never get the truth from the feds. They don't want us to know that they screwed up, and that we are paying for a war that does not need to go on.
Wouldn't think, with the majority of the citizens against the war in Iraq, the government would look into this? Especially with votes being hard to come by this election season, you would have to believe that someone in the Senate or House would want to hear from this lady. This all goes back to the first post from John Freeman: "You want the truth, you can handle the truth." Which means we will never hear what Sibel Edmonds knows.
" What are so-called gadflies like Olbermann and Moyers afraid of?"
Two words: Dan Rather.
Anyone who can really screw over Bushco gets the Siberia treatment big time. After all who owns the media in this country?
I don't usually respond to articles like this on CD because of the he-said she-said nature of them. I assume most of us who actively post on CD are not Washington or intelligence insiders (though I have no doubt that some of them may be lurking).
As a result, we have no basis for knowledge or grasp on individual events like this -- unless they have a long and generally established forensic record that either spans time (history), space (geography), many people/witnesses (accepted credibility), etc.
I guess the big lesson to any whistle-blower is to blow the whistle after you've got hardcore evidence: audio, video, others who'll perform a group whistle-blowing along with you, documentation, etc.
Otherwise, we're left with vague premonitions, what we want to believe, or do not want to believe, what might be consistent with the administration's general m.o., speculation, etc.
Sibel who? what?, oh excuse me, I am terribly busy. I have to move some large amounts of money offshore into foreign currencies and swiss bank accounts. Cannot have foreign translators butting in our clubs secret money deals. Cannot have congressional committees sticking their noses where they are not welcome, they might uncover the whole rotting nest.
In the big money lands, its who you know, and how much and deep you are in the scam. And secrets go to the same places the money is going. Nothing is worth anything unless you can strip the cash from it. And why bother now? Its all too late, the good times are about to end anyway. Everyone who has anything is stashing it away for themselves and their families. Setting up the private mansions and armies. Bugger the country, its disappearing anyhow to all of the Mexicans/Arabs/Chinese/Foreigners. We got good prices for the bits we could sell. There's probably still more to be sold, no-body wants to be a party pooper. If you haven't got money, you are powerless stop it. If you are making the money, you would not want to stop it.
I have recently read most of the publicly available information on Sibel Edmonds and can only emphasize the truly astonishing nature of this story. First, her credibility: she is, as Daniel Ellsburg says, highly credible. What she doesn't know firsthand she usually says "I don't know". Her claims have not been impeached or refuted, but have been repeatedly corroborated at points where they can be checked. At the highest level of the government the instruction came to Ashcroft to shut her up, and everyone else, concerning her case: Ashcroft's retroactive classification, silencing her and everyone else from speaking of the specifics of her case, under threat of arrest and imprisonment.
This is Watergate. This is the Pentagon Papers. Except--except this one isn't being investigated and no indictments are being prepared. She is now naming names and alleging specific treasonable behavior (based on what she heard from FBI wiretap tapes)--names like Marc Edelman, Douglas Feith, Richard Perle--neoconservatives in high positions who are at the heart of the Turkey-Israel-US diplomatic/lobbying/military arms contracting business and all the sordidness and billions of dollars dealing in death that involves.
Why is no major US media taking up this story? On its face it seems highly odd. I don't buy the thoughts of some here of physical threats to journalists--because if that were the case, some of the journalist targets would simply tell the world "I've been threatened" or "I'm being blackmailed", and that hasn't happened. I think it must be the classified status of her entire case and fears of legal jeopardy, combined with the difficulty of corroboration of her allegations (she has no documents or copies of the tapes to produce), or else the EXTREMELY "hot potato" aspect of being the carrier of such a story. There is also a well-established track record of major media outlets accomodating simple requests from the White House voluntarily not to run stories if the White House convinces them that it would harm national security, perhaps that is happening, it is hard to say.
Why did the sordid behavior that Sibel Edmonds heard on the FBI wiretap tapes result in no criminal indictments or prosecutions? (Well, maybe there were one or two; the Larry Franklin AIPAC spying case may have been one result of those or related investigations.) One possibility may be that the FBI wiretaps at issue were of questionable legality in their origin, and would have been challenged or inadmissable in court as evidence, i.e. a case of prosecutors having evidence which cannot be used, but not enough evidence that can be used, of a crime. Yet that does not seem to be a full explanation. The larger explanation seems to be as explained in the rationale for Ashcroft's retroactively imposing "classified" status on the Sibel Edmonds case: the claim, and perception, that it would damage strategic relationships with key US allies, such as Turkey, and Israel, and this caused a word from on high: "we are not going to go there."
Sibel Edmonds is like John Dean before Nixon's white house tapes were revealed to exist and subsequently compelled to be produced backing up John Dean's shocking allegations. At the beginning, the White House sought to portray John Dean as lying, or disturbed. But John Dean was not lying. He was telling the truth. Nixon's white house tapes were revealed to exist, and were subpoened and confirmed John Dean was telling the truth. Where are the tapes that Sibel Edmonds heard? Have they been destroyed, or do they still exist? If they exist, why are Congressional oversight committees not compelling them to be produced and heard, on analogy with John Dean's revelations of an earlier era which brought down a Presidency and would have sent a President to prison if Ford had not given Nixon a legally doubtful "advance pardon" (before any guilt had been established in court to be pardoned).
Speaking of which, what does John Dean himself--a courageous and intelligent figure, not known to mince words concerning the Bush administration's venality--have to say about the Sibel Edmonds case?
For more information see this blog and links there
http://letsibeledmondsspeak.blogspot.com/
Especially read the link to "Hijacking of a Nation Part II" for overview. Be prepared for serious depression after reading it.
There's a media muckraking strategy that could work here: create your own little mock newspaper mimicking their masthead with big headlines about Sibel Edmonds, and some pilfered articles below. Print a "special edition" and distribute it in the lobby or outside your newspaper until police threatens you with arrest. Who knows what happens!
Did this once with a "special edition" making public the Downing Street memos.
Hey! Israel got away with bombing The USS Liberty into oblivion on June 8, 1967! According to all the witnesses who survived the attack this was no "accident".
Here's the link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cAxk7Y_pTkw
An act of war against the United States by Israel, and Johnson, McNamara, Rusk and John McCain's father AND John McCain let them get away with it!!
Yet another "false flag operation" to lure the U.S. into a war in the Middle East? The Six Day War that got Israel its precious "Wailing Wall".
Think of how different the world would be today if the United States would have retaliated against Israel for knowingly attacking the USS Liberty.
And tomorrow thousands of Americans will blindly vote for McCain and his key supporter Joe "AIPAC" Lieberman. Imagine, if you can stomach it, the thought of Lieberman potentially being "a heart beat away."
God help us.
frankscott, haven't you figured it out yet? Israel is the most powerful nation on earth!
"I have to ask, does the State of Israel own the United States?"
no..it's more of a rental - leasing arrangement...
I really believe the Anthrax mystery was an initial attempt or trial run at a national disaster. If any of you conspiracy buffs want to look up "American Hiroshima", don't blame me for sending you in that direction.
We get plenty of information & disinformation from the mean scheme media.
"Republic is about to be shoved into a Fascist State by some big financial disaster, energy manipulation, and terrorist threat. With our state of media control…..there willbe no real critism or vocal opposition. The State of Martial Law will permit the rounding up of 20,000 U.S. citizens in less that ten days."
If they could have done this, they would have done it when doing so would have evoked no criticism at all. Despite having every advantage, including a complicit Congress in the last year, they haven't done it; they haven't really needed to. But the fact is that you can only control a post-industrial country of 300 million through control of information & disinformation, not by actual physical force.
I urge everyone to review Bin Laden's speech of oct. 30, 2004 at world press. org. It's prophetic. Bin laden predicts that our mischief in the mid-east will bankrupt us just like it did to the Soviet Union. Judging by the way that this whole thing is playing out, it would seem that God REALLY IS on their side. My red-neck neighbor had this to say; the problem is that Bin Laden's guys are alot smarter than Bush's guys. Or so it seems. I would like to see a chess game between the Bush and Bin Laden, but I fear that it would be a very short game.
I agree with Bakunin opinion. Our Republic is about to be shoved into a Fascist State by some big financial disaster, energy manipulation, and terrorist threat. With our state of media control.....there willbe no real critism or vocal opposition. The State of Martial Law will permit the rounding up of 20,000 U.S. citizens in less that ten days.
Our Freedom and Democracy will die with wimper. Out of fear all opposition will cease. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney will rank in future histories as the new Hitlers and Stalins. And remember they turned on their allies in short order. The United States will be destroyed from within....
I can only imagine Moyers, Olberman, Waxman were threatened to avoid a story as big and as implicating as this is. Heads up to Ms. Edmonds for her isolation on this issue that affects every one of us.
barksnotbites ... just want to make sure you understand that in my post above I was being as cynical and sarcastic as I have ever been. I wouldnt call Obama to help me carry groceries.
greenerthanthou ... your suggestion is the only thing that makes sense to me. It is obvious these evil-doers will stop at nothing. Witness, sadly, Paul Wellstone.
Meg, you gotta see(if you didnt already)..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zl70K1oFfA
and also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY
I hope Barack Obama finds out about this and takes action right away. I'll feel so hopeful if he does.
The root cause of our problem Hoa Binh.
The hour is late for the republic, and it is tottering on the brink, ready with one more shove in the form of a financial meltdown or big terror attack, to fall over the precipice into full-scale corporate fascism and a police state. Some would say we are already there, but I think we are only 9/10's of the way there. All the preliminary work has been done by the Bush administration. We need just one more major event to get us all the way to the tyranny the founders warned about. Sadly, as was the case with the populations of the axis powers in WWII, the majority of the American people are likely to go along with capitalist totalitarianism here.
Our Congress is occupied Israeli territory.
Hoa binh
The state of Israel own all right wing fundamentalists.
It is the holy land they want to keep from the barbarians.
Because of an antiquated book's spillings.
The Question of American Militarism comes up again.
What are America's real interests?
Who are we honestly protecting?
McCain wants to cut federal corporate tax by 10%
I did not know they were actually paying any.
I have to ask, does the State of Israel own the United States?
This reminds me of the stepford wives discussion we had the other day.
Why would people we trust, like Moyers and Waxman, ignore clear evidence of treason?
It must be that they or their families are threatened. I can think of no other reason.
Remember Jack Nicholson's line "Truth, you can't stand the Truth!"? To me, that was certainly one of the most revealing lines about our culture to come out of Hollywood. Collectively, our view of our country and our culture flat does not line up with reality. Could be time to bite the bullet, eh?
Veteran '66-68