"WASHINGTON — Israel attempted to use tapes of former US president Bill Clinton’s steamy conversations with intern Monica Lewinsky to leverage the release of Jonathan Pollard, a new book on the Clinton family’s political enterprises has claimed. In the book, titled “Clinton Inc: The Audacious Rebuilding of a Political Machine,” author Daniel Halper relies on on-the-record interviews with former officials together with a close analysis of documents termed “the Monica Files” to paint a salacious – and uncomplimentary – picture of one of the most prominent political families in the United States.
Halper reviewed hundreds of pages of documents compiled as a contingency to use in case the former intern ever was involved in legal action against Clinton.
According to the author, the documents indicate that during the Wye Plantation talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, held in Maryland in 1998, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled Bill Clinton aside to press for Pollard’s release.
Halper said that Israel had found new leverage to push for Pollard’s release.“The Israelis present at Wye River had a new tactic for their negotiations–they’d overheard Clinton and Monica and had it on tape. Not wanting to directly threaten the powerful American president, a crucial Israeli ally, Clinton was told that the Israeli government had thrown the tapes away. But the very mention of them was enough to constitute a form of blackmail,” Halper wrote, adding that “according to information provided by a CIA source, a stricken Clinton appeared to buckle.”
http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-said-to-have-offered-lewinsky-tapes-for-pollard/
Too funny. I've been seeing a lot of the potential First Penis on news shows, looking positively Foghornian in his white-haired, elder statesman mode, running interference for Her Ladyship.
Posted by: jr786 | 24 July 2014 at 05:00 PM
"Did Netanyahoo WANT TO blackmail Clinton over Lewinski affair to get Pollard released?"
Almost certainly.
"Did Netanyahoo TRY TO blackmail Clinton over Lewinski affair to get Pollard released?"
Entirely possible. Probable even.
"Did Netanyahoo SUCCESSFULLY blackmail Clinton over Lewinski affair to get Pollard released?"
No.
Sometimes how you frame the question is important:
Did Netanyahoo blackmail Clinton over Lewinski affair to get Pollard released?
In ordinary usage 'blackmail' implies successfully blackmailing somebody. Pollard is still in jail. So your headline could also read:
"Did Netanyahoo unsuccessfully try to blackmail Clinton over Lewinski affair to get Pollard released?"
Or if you wanted to rub it in you could write your headline as follows:
BLACKMAIL!!! - Yet another thing that Nethanyahoo failed at.
You could rewrite the strapline too:
WASHINGTON — In yet another confirmation that he suffers from reverse Midas syndrome* Prime Minister Nethanyoo bungled his attempt at blackmailing then US president Bill Clinton into releasing convicted traitor Jonathan Pollard a new book on the Clinton family’s political enterprises has claimed.
Dubhaltach
* Everything Midas touched turned to gold, reverse Midas syndrome is where everything you touch turns to s**t.
Posted by: Dubhaltach | 24 July 2014 at 05:02 PM
"BLACKMAIL!!! - Yet another thing that Nethanyahoo failed at!"
Ah, I like that. And, witness the edited title - I take your good advice.
Cheers,
CP
Posted by: confusedponderer | 24 July 2014 at 05:15 PM
Did Bibi send Monica on a mission? Some of us have always thought so.
Posted by: crone | 24 July 2014 at 06:39 PM
I touched on a bit of this earlier re: a book written by Gordon Thomas. They laid it on him to keep him in line if he tried to press them on the peace process. Last week he came charging out to defend Israel again. Is this still hanging over the head on his shoulders?
I'll never forget when that stinker Bibi came to the US before the public heard of the honey trap he went right to Pat Robertson to appear on the 700 Club to lock in the crazy CZ support.
Posted by: Cee | 24 July 2014 at 07:20 PM
Wasn't she a sting operation? ... and who ran her?
Posted by: Castellio | 24 July 2014 at 07:24 PM
Castellio, Crone,
I think the affair was accidental and everybody, including Bibi, delightedly pounced on it as an opportunity to further their various own ends.
But then, what do I know of the shark pond that is DC.
Posted by: confusedponderer | 24 July 2014 at 07:36 PM
I'm surprised, and yet not surprised. It is certainly illustrative of the benefits of high officials maintaining certain standards of personal behavior. It might also recommend our country taking a slightly more 'continental' approach to the personal foibles of government officials. After all, it's the threat of scandal that makes the blackmail bite. If the behavior is not considered scandalous, then the threat of exposure is meaningless.
But always this fixation on getting Pollard released, and the US disinclination. There is something very powerful to this, running beneath the surface. Israel is always returning to this theme, in any negotiation or crisis. Certainly, they would want him back, and there is the ethos of never leaving a man behind to account for some of this. And the US certainly feels some deep betrayal and double dealing by Pollard and by our perhaps most intimate ally and partner.
But I think there's much more than that. Did Pollard pass on far more than has been disclosed, things far more crucial or damaging? Does Pollard hold still more secrets after all this time, that the US doesn't want making their way to the Israelis?
During the Cold War, we traded spies back and forth with the Soviets like it was a game of Rummy. But this guy we hang onto.
Posted by: jon | 24 July 2014 at 09:08 PM
I don't think most politicians in the Imperial capital consider being suckled by a live girl as a blackmail able offense in the eyes of the people.
Slick Willie at the end of the day was a dumb ass Arkansas Red Neck, who thought he could lie to a congressional committee full of Republicans. They saw their opening, and impeached him for perjury, not mauling a little girl.(or maybe she mauled him). Any way his last three years as Emperor were stalemated.
The most interesting point here, is how could the Israaelis have acquired electronic access to POTUS's activities?
Posted by: Highlander | 24 July 2014 at 10:02 PM
I'm subscribed to Paul Craig Roberts' email list and just received a bulletin saying that the government of Ukraine has resigned. PCR claims that there is nothing on this on the likes of American MSM, BBC, etc. (Just checked the Beeb and he's right as of 10:01 pm CDT.) Does anyone here know anything about this?
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2014/07/24/government-ukraine-collapses/
Posted by: ex-PFC Chuck | 24 July 2014 at 11:02 PM
OK. Just found the story at The Independent in Britain.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-crisis-pm-arseny-yatseniuk-resigns-over-his-countrys-precarious-energy-situation-9627233.html
Posted by: ex-PFC Chuck | 24 July 2014 at 11:07 PM
of far more interest is whether the Israelis had the White House bugged or whether some dual national leaked it to them.
The implications for WH security are rather dire.
Posted by: wisedupearly | 24 July 2014 at 11:15 PM
Lewinsky stated that Clinton told her he thought a foreign embassy had tapped his phones. That was in the original doc that Drudge leaked.
Never saw anyone follow up on that.
Posted by: oth | 25 July 2014 at 02:06 AM
In reply to confusedponderer 24 July 2014 at 05:15 PM
I'm flattered :-).
Dubhaltach
Posted by: Dubhaltach | 25 July 2014 at 06:23 AM
Thanks for the link, Chuck. I saw the news of Yats' resignation last night on the Google newsfeed, but the attached article wasn't very informative.
Posted by: Seamus Padraig | 25 July 2014 at 08:43 AM
goggle Report of Israeli Eavesdropping on White House Telephone.
Not sure what the outcome of investigation was but article is interesting.
Posted by: NancyK | 25 July 2014 at 08:47 AM
Only in America darling, only in America.
Such a tactic would not work in France....
Posted by: Babak Makkinejad | 25 July 2014 at 09:17 AM
As Cee mentioned above, Gordon Thomas made these allegations originally in his book 'Gideon's Spies' fifteen years ago.
(http://nypost.com/1999/03/03/israel-blackmailed-bill-with-monica-tapes-spy-hunt-ended-after-mossad-bugged-prez-sex-chats-book-exclusive/)
Both Clinton and Netanyahu are on the record as saying the issue of Pollard's release was a demand by Netanyahu for the success of the Wye River Memorandum.
"One of the first things we said at Wye," recalled Netanyahu in an interview, "was that if we signed an agreement with Arafat, I expected a pardon for Pollard."
(https://web.archive.org/web/20060107223010/http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.06.28/news.pollard.html)">http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.06.28/news.pollard.html)">https://web.archive.org/web/20060107223010/http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.06.28/news.pollard.html)
"Netanyahu was threatening to scuttle the whole deal unless I released Pollard. He said I had promised him I would do so at an earlier meeting the night before, and that's why he had agreed on the other issues. In fact, I had told the prime minister that if that's what it took to make peace, I was inclined to do it, but I would have to check with our people." Bill Clinton 2005 'My Life' p. 468
Posted by: nick b | 25 July 2014 at 09:30 AM
So Izzy bugs WH where POTUS is getting sucked. Cracker can't keep it in his pants; little jewess can't get enough. Judeo-Christian match made in heaven. Love it!
Posted by: Charlie Wilson | 25 July 2014 at 09:35 AM
Nancy K
It is more likely that they were listening to her phone line, which means... pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 25 July 2014 at 09:49 AM
Charlie,
A young (at the time) 20 something infatuated with a politician? That's an age old story. As you point out though, Bill had the reputation.
Posted by: Fred | 25 July 2014 at 09:56 AM
Yes ... and who was it who recommended she not wash the blue dress with the semen stain? And why did she obey?
Posted by: Castellio | 25 July 2014 at 10:35 AM
How soon we forget. It was Linda Tripp, and she taped the whole conversation.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/lewinsky-tripp/
Posted by: nick b | 25 July 2014 at 10:48 AM
Col Lang, do you think the Presidents secret service were aware that the Israelis made such a brazen attempt right under their noses. Aren't they detailed with protecting the President?
Posted by: SamuelBurke | 25 July 2014 at 10:50 AM
There are other tactics to keep the French in line... Would you want to mix with CRIF.
Posted by: Andrew | 25 July 2014 at 10:52 AM