Ex-AG Reportedly Intervened for Lawmaker to Stop Wiretap Story

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales reportedly delayed disclosure of a lawmaker’s wiretap to Congress in an effort to protect the government’s secret terrorism spy program.

A wiretap of a suspected Israeli agent allegedly caught the lawmaker, U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., promising to lobby the Justice Department to reduce charges against two accused Israeli spies in exchange for help in securing the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee, according to a report first published in Congressional Quarterly. Harman has denied intervening in the case.

CIA director Porter Goss concluded in late 2005 that the conversation should be revealed to members of Congress, as is the custom when a lawmaker may become the target of a national security investigation, the New York Times reports.

But Gonzales asked Goss to delay disclosure for two reasons, the Times reports, relying on anonymous sources.

One reason: Gonzales saw Harman as an ally in an effort to persuade the New York Times not to publish an article about the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretap program. Another reason: Gonzales feared a leak could forewarn Harman of the investigation before she could be interviewed by the FBI.

Harman has since blasted the wiretap as an abuse of power and has asked the Justice Department to release full transcripts of the conversation.