Any wonder why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may not trust President Barack Obama?
Looking to protect a key legacy issue, his “historic” nuclear arms agreement with Iran, Obama had the National Security Agency step up its efforts to spy on Israel, according to the Wall Street Journal. In the process, which began late in the president’s first term and had bipartisan approval, the agency captured private conversations involving members of Congress.
An “Oh-s— moment,” as a senior U.S. official described it.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
The U.S., pursuing a nuclear arms agreement with Iran at the time, captured communications between Mr. Netanyahu and his aides that inflamed mistrust between the two countries and planted a political minefield at home when Mr. Netanyahu later took his campaign against the deal to Capitol Hill.
The National Security Agency’s targeting of Israeli leaders and officials also swept up the contents of some of their private conversations with U.S. lawmakers and American-Jewish groups. That raised fears—an “Oh-s— moment,” one senior U.S. official said—that the executive branch would be accused of spying on Congress.
The White House was concerned that Israel would pursue a preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities before a deal could be reached with the Persian Gulf country.
The spying on conversations between Israeli officials and U.S. lawmakers was stepped up earlier this year ahead of Netanyahu’s visit to Capitol Hill to denounce the nuclear deal that was in the works, the Wall Street Journal reported.
And while Obama vowed in 2014 to curtail eavesdropping on friendly heads of state, Netanyahu was exempted from that decree.
New York Post op-ed editor Seth Mandel posted more from the WSJ on Twitter:
H/T Twitchy.com
https://twitter.com/SethAMandel/status/681958773083271168
“I am confused by people saying Obama’s “Nixonian” — as if Nixon ever dared dream up this stuff,” Mandel wrote in another post.
All of which prompted social media users to wonder if the executive branch of the U.S. government spying on the legislative branch might be illegal?
Here’s a sampling of responses from Twitter:
This is illegal, right? MT @SethAMandel WSJ scoop: Obama stepped up spying on Congress & Israel to protect Iran deal https://t.co/qSLR35K9pR
— Megawatt Herb Drench (@mdrache) December 29, 2015
@SethAMandel I’m pretty sure this is a direct violation of the Separation of Powers.
— Dread Pirate Cates (@drawandstrike) December 29, 2015
@SethAMandel Can someone explain how the WH spying on Congress is not an impeachable offense? Thanks. @20committee
— David Kahane (@dkahanerules) December 29, 2015
@SethAMandel @WSJ this violates law.
— Panda for Paris (@MarkAWebster1) December 29, 2015
@SethAMandel A lawless President……
— Paul Drake (@PaulWDrake) December 29, 2015
.@SethAMandel @gailtalk Chicago style mafia politics – we all know what Obama is good at, he was like this before he entered politics
— R.d. Preston (@RD_Preston) December 30, 2015
So @POTUS put U.S. intelligence assets on Congress in order to force deal with a foreign power. How is this not the definition of treason?
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) December 29, 2015
Good God. The man is utterly lawless. https://t.co/WyG5khALyb
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) December 29, 2015
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
Tom@bizpacreview.com
The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
- Did Sunny Hostin just admit on air to breaking the law by voting for her son? - November 8, 2022
- Stacey Abrams justifies trailing in the polls by suggesting black men are too stupid to back her - November 7, 2022
- Kevin McCarthy has message for Pelosi telling Dems to ‘change the subject’ away from inflation - October 24, 2022
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
