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Spy scandal burdens Rumsfeld
29/08/2004 20:11 - (SA)
Washington - The FBI investigation into whether a Pentagon analyst passed classified information to Israel is yet another political weight on US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, still fending off criticism over the Iraq war and prisoner abuse.
It is not clear whether the investigation will result in charges of espionage at the Pentagon. At the least, the probe complicates Rumsfeld's position as congressional committees that oversee the defence department prepare for more hearings on the abuse scandal.
Rumsfeld has not commented publicly on the FBI's investigation. While the FBI has spent more than a year on the case, it only became public Friday.
It is focused on an analyst of Iranian affairs who works in a policy office headed by Douglas J Feith, the undersecretary for policy.
Feith has been accused by Democrats of seeking to manipulate intelligence to help make the case for going to war in Iraq. Congressional investigations have found no evidence of that.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the FBI investigation has broadened to include interviews with individuals at the state and defence departments as well as Middle East affairs specialists outside the government.
Israeli officials predicted that the allegation it got secret information on White House policy toward Iran from the Pentagon analyst would prove false.
Vincent Cannistraro, a retired CIA officer and former director of White House intelligence programs during former President Ronald Reagan's administration, said on Sunday, "It's another scandal for the Pentagon," with the potential in this case of going beyond the single individual under investigation.
Larry Di Rita, Rumsfeld's chief spokesperson, said on Sunday that the Pentagon is sticking by its initial statement on Friday that it understands the investigation is limited in scope. He said it would be inappropriate for him or Rumsfeld to comment further because it is an active investigation.
As for the possible political implications for Rumsfeld at the height of a presidential election campaign, Di Rita said, "I would not try to predict how the political season will affect this."
Early in his tenure at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld spoke out publicly against the unauthorised release of classified information. He undertook a special investigation when some elements of Pentagon planning for war in Iraq leaked to the news media in 2002.
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