APRIL 21, 2009, 1:19 P.M. ET

Rep. Harman Seeks Release of Spy Case Transcripts

By PETER SPIEGEL

WASHINGTON – Rep. Jane Harman asked the Justice Department to release transcripts of her recorded conversations following published reports she was caught on tape agreeing to seek leniency for two pro-Israeli lobbyists under investigation for espionage.

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder sent Tuesday morning, Ms. Harman, the former top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said the eavesdropping on her conversations were an "abuse of power." The California lawmaker also denied contacting law-enforcement agencies to influence the Bush administration's investigation.

"Let me be absolutely clear: I never contacted the Department of Justice, the White House or anyone else to seek favorable treatment regarding national security cases on which I was briefed, or any other cases," she wrote in the letter.
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Read the letter from Rep. Harman to Attorney General Holder.

According to the published accounts, first reported by Congressional Quarterly, Ms. Harman appears to agree to push for leniency for the two employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in exchange for help gaining the chairmanship of the intelligence committee. The recordings were reportedly made by the National Security Agency. It isn't clear precisely what the agency was monitoring.

In the transcripts, Ms. Harman was reportedly told that a major Democratic donor could be convinced to cut off contributions to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in order to pressure the speaker to give Ms. Harman the intelligence chair. Ms. Harman failed to get the intelligence post after a fight within the Democratic caucus and now heads a subcommittee.

In her letter to Mr. Holder, Ms. Harman doesn't deny speaking to advocates for the AIPAC lobbyists. She said only that she took no action on their behalf. In addition, Ms. Harman didn't address the question of whether she used the matter to further her ambition of running the committee.

Ms. Harman said conversations with advocates are part of routine congressional work and called on Mr. Holder to investigate whether other members of Congress were subject to eavesdropping by executive-branch agencies.

"As you know, it is entirely appropriate to converse with advocacy organizations and constituent groups, and I am concerned about a chilling effect on other elected officials who may find themselves in my situation," Ms. Harman wrote.

The two former AIPAC employees, Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, have been charged with espionage for passing on information they learned from the Bush administration to journalists. Their trial is scheduled for later this month.

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