White House Responds (Kind of) to Chas. Freeman Controversy
EmailThe White House today pleaded ignorance about some of the controversies surrounding its new chair of the National Intelligence Council, Charles "Chas." Freeman, president of the Middle East Policy Council since 1997.
Freeman was U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1989 until 1992, and the Middle East Policy Council is funded by the Saudi government.
Today a group of Congressmen, including Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, wrote to President Obama expressing concern about Freeman. (Read the letter HERE.)
"Given his close ties to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia we request a comprehensive review of Amb. Freeman’s past and current commercial, financial and contractual ties to the Kingdom to ensure no conflict of interest exists in his new position," the members of Congress wrote. "As you may know, Amb. Freeman most recently served as president of the Middle East Policy Council, a think-tank funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The board of directors includes Dr. Fuad Rihani, a consultant to the Saudi Binladin Group — a multinational construction conglomerate and holding company for the assets owned by the bind Laden family."
Other critics say Freeman is anti-Israel. Rep. Steve Israel, D-NY, recently asked the Inspector General for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to look into Freeman’s ties to the Saudis, noting that Freeman in 2006 said:
"For the past half decade, Israel has enjoyed carte blanche from the United States to experiment with any policy it favored to stabilize its relations with the Palestinians and its other Arab neighbors, including most recently its efforts to bomb Lebanon into peaceful coexistence with it and to smother Palestinian democracy in its cradle. The suspension of the independent exercise of American judgment about what best serves our interests as well as those of Israelis and Arabs has caused the Arabs to lose confidence in the United States as a peace partner. … left to its own devices, the Israeli establishment will make decisions that harm Israelis, threaten all associated with them, and enrage those who are not … Tragically, despite all the advantages and opportunities Israel has had over the fifty-nine years of its existence, it has failed to achieve concord and reconciliation with anyone in its region, still less to gain their admiration or affection."
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., has said that "Freeman’s past associations and positions on foreign policy are deeply alarming. His statements about the U.S.-Israel relationship raise serious concerns about his ability to support the Administration’s attempts to bring security, stability and peace to the Middle East. As director of the NIC, Freeman would be in charge of drafting the National Intelligence Estimate and evaluating the strategic outlook of our nation. This selection threatens to politicize the intelligence community. I urge President Obama to reconsider this decision."
Many are supportive of the Freeman pick, including M.J. Rosenberg, who writes at Talking Points Memo that "For the first time in years, a president has rebuffed the neocon/rightwing lobby on an issue dear to their hearts. He informed the Senate that he will make Charles Freeman head of the National Intelligence Council despite the full-court press led by the neocons and the rightwing of the pro-Israel lobby against him."
Washingtonpost.com columnist Dan Froomkin in 2006, writing for Nieman Watchdog, described Freeman as "one of those rare insiders who is also a provocateur. His goal: Raising tough, penetrating questions that are more than a bit ahead of the curve — making people uncomfortable, but ultimately the wiser for it."
Perhaps most controversially, under Freeman’s direction, the Middle East Policy Council was the first outlet in the U.S. to publish the working paper of the controversial paper "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" by University of Chicago Professor John Mearsheimer and Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University Professor Stephen Walt. Many critics suggested the paper was shoddy academically and anti-Semitic, but Freeman was proud MEPC published it.
"No one else in the United States has dared to publish this article, given the political penalties that the Lobby imposes on those who criticize it," he said.
Critics cite other issues with Freeman beyond the Middle East. Writing in Politico, New Republic editor James Kirchick recently reported that on May 26, 2006, Freeman sent an e-mail "to a confidential listserv called ChinaSec. The subject under discussion was the Tiananmen Square massacre, the 1989 Chinese government crackdown on peaceful democracy demonstrators. Sounding like a hard-line Chinese Communist Party flack, he referred to the young activists as constituting a ‘mob scene,’ termed their appeals for liberalization ‘propaganda,’ mocked the ‘goddess of democracy’ they had erected in honor of the Statue of Liberty and deemed the government’s response — which resulted in over 2,500 deaths — ‘overly cautious.’"
Asked today by ABC News if the Obama White House was aware of all the concerns about Freeman, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said, "I’ve not read those. I think anybody can look at what the president has said and what the president’s views are, enumerating from the very beginning of this administration the desire to be engaged actively in the Middle East region to ensure a durable and lasting peace. It is something that he’s said he would work on each and every day."
Gibbs said "I think people can be reasonably assured of where the president is on this and how he’ll be actively engaged in seeking Middle East peace."
– jpt
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
They seem more informed about Rush Limbaugh than their own chair of the National Intelligence Council.
Posted by: MayBee | March 3, 2009, 6:38 pm 6:38 pm
They finally admitted the Obama White House is ignorant? Many of us have been shouting that from the rooftops since he seized the nomination. Glad Obama and mob finally agree with Real America.
Posted by: JD | March 3, 2009, 6:42 pm 6:42 pm
I’ve actually read the book by Mearsheimer and Walt and I think everybody, especially Joe the Plumber, should read it.
Posted by: JV | March 3, 2009, 6:45 pm 6:45 pm
Attorney General Eric Holder has quietly introduced legislation to curtail ownership of guns by individuals throughout the US. Obama AGAIN is not keeping his word to the American people. New BILL HR 45
Posted by: Mike | March 3, 2009, 6:46 pm 6:46 pm
To be critical of Israel is not anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. It’s simplistic line of thinking, and does nothing to foster understanding and resolve conflicts. All nations should be held to accountability.
Posted by: kat the real one | March 3, 2009, 6:49 pm 6:49 pm
They sure are good at handing out blame but are incapable of responsibiility as they continue to destroy the country.
Posted by: drjohn | March 3, 2009, 6:52 pm 6:52 pm
Dow 6,726.02 -37.27 (-0.55%)
Message to PB0: Just please shut it up, and we’d all appreciate it.
Posted by: kat | March 3, 2009, 6:54 pm 6:54 pm
“Attorney General Eric Holder has quietly introduced legislation to curtail ownership of guns by individuals throughout the US. Obama AGAIN is not keeping his word to the American people. New BILL HR 45″
AG’s don’t introduce bills.
The bill was intro’d by Rep Rush the first week of January and has been languishing in subcommittee ever since.
The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.
Posted by: Ryan C | March 3, 2009, 6:58 pm 6:58 pm
It’s my hope that inroads can be made towards a peace in the Middle East, despite the prevailing administration in Israel.
Posted by: ajax | March 3, 2009, 7:01 pm 7:01 pm
I hope at some point reporters will provide some balanced coverage of the “Freeman controversy,” if indeed it even merits it. (Let the man get on with his job.) Even a cursory reading of who is challenging this appointment show it’s an organized attack designed to discredit a public servant who has made the terribly mistake of calling it like it is while standing inside the Beltway. A check into Mr. Freeman’s family will show many accusations, such as the scurrilous accounts of his anti-Semitism to be ridiculous, while his so-called connections to Saudi Arabia are far less significant than those of a number of our recent presidents. Ambassador Freeman is being used as a proxy for an attack on Obama and his new international policies. Good men are hard to find –in Washington especially. His record shows he’s the kind of brave thinker and brilliant strategist our country needs as it navigates the very difficult road ahead.
Posted by: J. K.. | March 3, 2009, 7:38 pm 7:38 pm
He’s the only person in the nation qualified for this position. Why is it so difficult to understand that there is a critical shortage of talented, qualified Democrats to serve the nation? No is not an option.
Posted by: Sigmonde | March 3, 2009, 7:49 pm 7:49 pm
Even a cursory reading of who is challenging this appointment show it’s an organized attack designed to discredit a public servant…
————————————-
It’s a bi-partisan group.
Posted by: mad | March 3, 2009, 8:01 pm 8:01 pm
heh, “pleaded ignorance”.
Yes, that’s an accurate statement.
Posted by: vinman | March 3, 2009, 8:05 pm 8:05 pm
Gibbs said “I think people can be reasonably assured of where the president is on this and how he’ll be actively engaged in seeking Middle East peace.”
****************************************
It was a nice way of saying so what? Get use to it. Gibbs is not going to roll over and play dead. Neither is Obama
Posted by: Thinking | March 3, 2009, 8:35 pm 8:35 pm
It’s my hope that inroads can be made towards a peace in the Middle East, despite the prevailing administration in Israel.
****************************************
I couldn’t agree more! Israel has turned to the ultra right, and today Clinton had to remind them that the US still backs a two State solution. I wonder where they got the idea that the US didn’t.
Posted by: Thinking | March 3, 2009, 8:39 pm 8:39 pm
Just write a letter Obama! :)
Obama’s letter to the Russian president is beyond belief!
Now the whole world knows how arrogant, naive and incredibly stupid Obama is! He has humiliated the USA and the office he presently holds!
And as usual he obfuscates/lies when caught!
Posted by: aware2u | March 3, 2009, 8:40 pm 8:40 pm
If he is an Obama nominee, check how far in arrears he is on his income taxes!!
Posted by: GrannyCares | March 3, 2009, 8:44 pm 8:44 pm
Another controversial nominee…
Is Team Obama this clueless or just plain arrogant?
Tough call…
Posted by: tjp612 | March 3, 2009, 8:45 pm 8:45 pm
“Obama’s letter to the Russian president is beyond belief! :
The Russians, despite their public position, don’t care if the Iranians develop nuke weapons. They see Iran with nukes as a balance to Israel’s nukes and to US influence in the region. The Russians are not going to help the US and Obama should know this.. His letter makes him look weak.
Posted by: Sigmonde | March 3, 2009, 8:53 pm 8:53 pm
Another controversial nominee
***************************************
Controversial to whom? The GOP? The pro Israel Lobby? To Whom?
It is kind of a catch all word, Controversial. No one is going to agree with everything, some will like it, some will not, and some will not care.
Posted by: Thinking | March 3, 2009, 8:56 pm 8:56 pm
Some one really ought to get fired for this wave of vetting gaffes. Will it ever end?
Posted by: matt | March 3, 2009, 9:02 pm 9:02 pm
Ryan C – Bobby Rush is a DEMOCRAT from where else ILLINOIS. Get your facts correct. Check out for yourself Bill HR 45
Posted by: Mike | March 3, 2009, 9:13 pm 9:13 pm
Who cares
Posted by: Sara | March 3, 2009, 9:18 pm 9:18 pm
Some one really ought to get fired for this wave of vetting gaffes. Will it ever end?
****************************************
Oh Wow! out of the few hundred appointees what 4? And that depends on your take.
A little bit of “chicken little” on your part don’t you think.
Posted by: Thinking | March 3, 2009, 9:23 pm 9:23 pm
“Oh Wow! out of the few hundred appointees what 4? And that depends on your take.”
Sloppy vetting of high level officials makes me wonder what the Obamacats dragged in that haven’t had the public spotlight on them.
Posted by: Sigmonde | March 3, 2009, 9:39 pm 9:39 pm
Oh Wow! out of the few hundred appointees what 4? And that depends on your take.”
Sloppy vetting of high level officials makes me wonder what the Obamacats dragged in that haven’t had the public spotlight on them.
***************************************
That’s your argument?
Posted by: Thinking | March 3, 2009, 10:01 pm 10:01 pm
Oh No May Bee, Gibbs can play dumb all he wants. Obama knows EXACTLY who Chas. Freeman is–and the fact that he would appoint him anyway says every thing you need to know about who he really is, and what he has in mind for Israel, and us.
Posted by: verner | March 4, 2009, 12:19 am 12:19 am
Thank God for President Obama for actually hiring smart people for his administration. Maybe now the United States will being treating the Israelis and Palestinians equally for a change. The Palestinians deserve to have their own state and the right to rule their own land. The United States has bent over backwards for Israel for too many years to the detriment of the United States. The U.S. government has cared more about the safety of Israelis in recent years than they have about the safety of American citizens.
Posted by: Jenny | March 4, 2009, 1:23 am 1:23 am
SO 78% of Jewish voters voted for President Obama and he repays them by opening the door for Israel’s destruction.
And to all the Jew-haters out there(including self-loathing Jews who voted for Obama), with Rahm Emanuel in the White House isn’t Obama being run by the Zionists?
I support Israel’s right to exist however I am wondering if the Democratic Party support Israel’s right to exist or are they liars?
I am sorry Israel(an ally of Liberty) that 78% of American Jews stabbed you in the back and betrayed your nation and its people.
Posted by: syn | March 4, 2009, 5:32 am 5:32 am
That noose is getting tighter around his neck…THIS MAN IS SIMPLY NOT QUALIFIED TO BE CIC….So far his choices have been crap.
Four years of this??????…OH WAIT!!! IF he gets impeached we can look forward to Biden filling those great shoes…and then HIS pick for VP.
This just gets better and better all the time…(sarcasm off.)
Posted by: Alex | March 4, 2009, 7:14 am 7:14 am
Pleading “ignorance” is the first honest thing to come out of this white house. I don’t know whether I want more of that or less, to be honest. I don’t agree with Rush, I just don’t see that this resident has the smarts to succeed.
Posted by: beebop | March 4, 2009, 7:40 am 7:40 am
“White House today pleaded ignorance about some of the controversies”
Amazing! Obama rolls out the exact “excuse” he used for William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright. What’s next will Barry say he thought Freeman was rehabilitated or will it be Barry only sat in the pew when Chas wasn’t calling for the erasure of Israel.
What a load!
Posted by: LogicalUS | March 4, 2009, 8:15 am 8:15 am
Obama pleads ignorance again. And this is the guy who is leading the world’s largest economy? We are in so much trouble with this guy.
Posted by: Peach | March 4, 2009, 10:07 am 10:07 am
Freeman is a Saudi apologist and has argued that Bejing did not strike down the Tiananmen Square protestors fast enough. The guy is a long-time friend and business partner with the bin Laden family, even after 9/11.
Obama knew all that. Any housewife with a computer can figure that out.
Posted by: Peach | March 4, 2009, 10:25 am 10:25 am
Great reporting, Jake. You are the best in the business.
Posted by: Manny Mendelson | March 4, 2009, 10:40 am 10:40 am
“The White House today pleaded ignorance…again.”
There, I fixed it for you.
Powers, Rice, Freeman. This president, who was associated for 20 years with a rabidly anti-Semitic theology, church and pastor (and still would be today if they hadn’t been outed), is no friend to Israel. And, as past presidents have discovered, being a friend to the Palestinians gets you exactly nowhere. Which is just one of the many reasons why the Palestinians have no friends, even among their fellow Arabs. They might try thinking about that now and then.
Posted by: KJo | March 4, 2009, 10:49 am 10:49 am
KJo – so well said. And Louis Farrakhan couldn’t speak enough about the Obamas at the Nation of Islam convention. There is absolutely nothing stupid about Obama, dangerous, but not stupid.
Posted by: Joanne600 | March 4, 2009, 11:09 am 11:09 am
Thanks for the excellent reporting, Mr. Tapper. You have no equal on your beat, as far as I can tell.
Posted by: Karen Otravez | March 4, 2009, 2:05 pm 2:05 pm
I wonder how the supporters of MR. Freeman would feel if President Obama had nominated someone on the Israeli Government payroll? Well, Mr. Freeman is and has been for years on the Saudi government payroll, and that doesn’t seem to bother his supporters very much.
Posted by: DBL | March 4, 2009, 2:12 pm 2:12 pm
Mr. Tapper, you’re the only network journalist who lives up the to old definition of the word. Keep up the great work. But be very, very careful.
Posted by: Tanne | March 4, 2009, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm
People are upset that the U.S. will finally be fair to both the Palestinians and Israelis instead of bowing down to one side like we have in the past? Americans should worry about American policy rather than Israeli policy. What is best for American might not be best for Israel. Tough. President Obama has a choice – let the Israeli/Palestinian violence go on for another thousand years or try to fix the problem. Thank God for President Obama for treating both sides equally and for thinking about what is best for all Americans instead of one group of Americans.
Posted by: Jenny | March 4, 2009, 4:49 pm 4:49 pm
As I recall, Jenny, both President Carter and, in particular, President Clinton bent over backwards trying to be “fair” to the Palestinians. All for naught. As long as the Palestinians wish to deny Israel its existence, there will be no peace between the two parties. Barack Obama is no magic man and there is no solution to this problem that has not been explored and re-explored ad nauseum in the past. Israel is perfectly willing to live peaceably side-by-side with a state of Palestine. Unfortunately, Palestine is not willing to live peaceably side-by-side with the State of Israel.
It is in America’s best interests to have a strong, independent, democratic and prosperous ally like Israel in the ME. Palestine is a basket case and its wounds are mostly self-inflicted. It is not in America’s interests to pretend otherwise.
Posted by: KJo | March 4, 2009, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm
Israel is perfectly willing to live peaceably side-by-side with a state of Palestine?? Really?? Allowing the building of Jewish settlements on Palestinians land? Bulldozing Palestinians homes?? Putting roadblocks and barriers in the middle of Palestinians neighborhoods so families can’t visit their own family members and workers can’t go to their place of business and farmers can’t tend to their own land without permission for the Israeli government? That is wanting to live peacefully? Why not stop American Jews from building homes on Palestinian land?? Why not let Palestinian businessmen or farmers go to their place of work without having to get permission first?? Nice try but without American taxpayer money Israel would be a getto and in as much a mess as the Palestinian territory. Treating both sides fairly would equal the playing field.
Posted by: Jenny | March 4, 2009, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
This is very poor choice. It doesn’t matter what political/financial ties Mr. Freeman has to the Bin Laden family. Mr. Freeman’s statement about the Arab/Israeli conflict is froth with a total ignorance of history. The Israelis have made nice with Jordan and Egypt and treaties have been agreed upon to end hostilities. Lebanon and Gaza would have followed if the Hamas and Hezbollah had not interfered and fomented active hostile actions against Israel. I ask Mr. Freeman to cite one time the Israelis were not justified to take action against the peace loving Arabs? Come on Mr. Freeman quit drinking the Arab Kool-Aid. As for President Obama’s ignorance of Mr. Freeman’s affiliations, it’s normal operating procedure.
Posted by: Phil | March 4, 2009, 6:21 pm 6:21 pm
Look out Isreal, Obama and the Obamanauts have you in their sights. They want “peace” even if it kills you.
I find Gibbs performance to be lack -luster. His arrogance is palpable especially when picking fights with Financial Journalists.
Success for America and Failure for the Obama Administration!
Posted by: Rudderless Govt. | March 5, 2009, 12:56 am 12:56 am
Looks like Obama needs to appoint someone (hopefully with SOME intelligence) to investigate Charles Freeman, Obama’s choice for the chair of the National Intelligence Council.
Posted by: jfz | March 5, 2009, 5:14 am 5:14 am
This article vividly show the President’s views on Israel. It highlights the dangerous political snub that Obama delivered to Gordon Brown, today. What an insult to give the British Leader a box of CDs. I would take this as a Virtual Slap int he Face and an incentive to back away from any friendship with the United States until Obama either resigns or is replaced in the next election. If the Senate and House of Representatives do not deny Obama thie appointment, the USA is in serious danger of massive attack by either Extremist Islamo Fascists or another enemy that has much greater military power. How about Russia, China, Iran or North Korea? Either or all of them could launch a nuclear attack against us at their choosing and without a missile defense system, we would be helpless victims of Democrat Stupidity. Liberalism in a Serious Mental Disorder.
thanks
xerati
Posted by: Xerati Denague | March 6, 2009, 1:43 am 1:43 am
I am sick and tired of being labled anti-semite the moment one criticizes the Israeli government’s policies. Unfortunately the few people that dare to speak the truth end up paying for it dearly.
Posted by: YF | March 12, 2009, 6:35 pm 6:35 pm
Alex, you said, “Four years of this??????…OH WAIT!!! IF he gets impeached we can look forward to Biden filling those great shoes…and then HIS pick for VP.”
If you check out the constitution you’ll find that Biden wouldn’t have a choice pf VP in the case of his rising to the Presidency, The Speaker of the House would then take the position. My G-D, Pelosi as VP? Save us all.
Posted by: Michael Blum | March 16, 2009, 2:46 pm 2:46 pm