Forum Post: Saad Hariri,"friend" of Hamas,supporter of Obama's choice: Hagel
Posted 11 years ago on Feb. 7, 2013, 5:42 p.m. EST by chuckuschumer
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Senate sources believe that one reason Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel has not submitted requested financial disclosures is that one of his funders is called "Friends of Hamas."
While the White House refused to confirm or deny the report, there are certainly friends of Hamas among Hagel's supporters, including former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri.
Hariri (above left, with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal), whose father Rafik Hariri was assassinated (likely by the Hezbollah terror group) in 2005, inherited his family fortune and emerged as a Sunni Muslim leader in Lebanon's fractured ethnic-religious mosaic. He served as prime minister from late 2009 until early 2011, when Hezbollah's political wing withdrew from his government amid controversy over its involvement in his father's death. He now lives outside Lebanon in self-imposed exile.
The Hariri family has supported the Atlantic Council, a think tank Hagel chairs, and provided the funding for the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, which was launched in 2011 with Vice President Joe Biden in attendance. The Hariri Center's stated purpose is to "promote innovative policies to advance economic and political liberalization, sustainable conflict resolution, and greater regional and international integration."
Hariri is thought to be connected to Syrian opposition groups, even though as prime minister he attempted to improve relations with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. He is well-regarded by Western supporters--a fact that his local opponents sometimes use against him. Accusations--likely false, and probably planted by opponents--have even circulated that he is working with the Israel Defense Force to train anti-Hezbollah soldiers in Jordan.
Yet even the liberal-minded Hariri has expressed open hostility towards Israel, and has been at pains to show his support for Hamas, the predominantly Sunni Palestinian terror group that controls the Gaza Strip. In late December, Hariri sent a representative to a large celebration in Beirut of the 25th anniversary of Hamas. He has also maintained contact with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza, even while abroad in Saudi Arabia.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have expressed concern about Hagel's funding from the Hariri family, among other foreign donors, according to a report Wednesday by Buzzfeed's Zeke Miller. Miller's source apparently did not specify why Hariri funding was of concern, though Saad Hariri's alleged ties to the Syrian opposition and connections to Hamas could create conflicts of interest for Hagel at the Department of Defense.
Hagel's failure to provide relevant documentation about his funding, as well as additional information about past speeches, provoked a stern letter from Republicans on Wednesday, led by committee member Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Committee chair Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) postponed a vote on Hagel, but said Thursday that he would move to schedule a vote "as soon as we're ready to have a vote," indicating his impatience with Republican opposition.
Senate sources believe.....
"Friends"of Hamas......
While the White House refused to confirm or deny the report.....
The Hariri Center's stated purpose is to "promote innovative policies to advance economic and political liberalization, sustainable conflict resolution, and greater regional and international integration." DAMN PEACEMONGERING LIBERALS!
Hariri is thought to be connected.....
Accusations--likely false, and probably planted by opponents--have even circulated that he is working with the Israel Defense Force to train anti-Hezbollah soldiers in Jordan.
Hariri has expressed open hostility towards Israel, and has been at pains to show his support for Hamas.
He has also maintained contact with Hamas leader.....
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have expressed concern...
according to a report Wednesday by Buzzfeed's Zeke Miller....
Miller's source apparently did not specify....
Hariri's alleged ties to the Syrian opposition....
Hagel's failure to provide relevant documentation...
did you learn this propagandizing crap from the master? andrew breitbat?
If anyone wants to waste their time, more info is available from stellar sources:
redstate.com & weeklystandard.com & of course: bretbart.com
Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) February 6, 2013 At Hagel’s Jan. 31 confirmation hearing, ranking Republican James Inhofe (R-OK) noted that the committee had requested Hagel provide all of the speeches he had delivered over the last five years, since he left the Senate, including disclosing who paid him for them. Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) gave Hagel a deadline of Monday at 5 p.m. to provide more information for the record. Hagel testified that many of his speeches were private, not videotaped, and often did not include prepared remarks, but that he would comply with all legal requirements.
On Tuesday afternoon, committee member Jeff Sessions (R-AL) told The Cable that the deadline had passed and that the committee had not been given the information it requested, specifically on who paid Hagel to give speeches. “A number of senators wrote and asked for additional financial information that I thought was reasonable and the chairman agreed and directed that information be provided by yesterday. It has not been provided. Those were reasonable requests,” Sessions said. “I believe the request for financial information was legitimate and should be complied with before a vote takes place.”
A Sen. Ted Cruz letter on the subject has two dozen signatories: Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) distributed a letter to his Republican colleagues calling on SASC Chairman Carl Levin (D., Mich.) to delay a committee vote until Hagel responds to the numerous questions about his financial entanglements, according to multiple Senate sources.
The letter has garnered at least two dozen signatures thus far, the sources said. The signatories include every GOP member of SASC.
“Your refusal to respond to this reasonable request [for more information] suggests either a lack of respect for the Senate’s responsibility to advice and consent or that you are for some reason unwilling to allow this financial disclosure to come to light,” Cruz and his colleagues state in the letter sent late Wednesday to Hagel.
And, Hagel has dug in. President Barack Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that he will not provide foreign financial details for the corporate and nonprofit organizations he was affiliated with since he left the Senate in 2009.
Republican members of the committee asked Hagel last week for information on whether any of the organizations received funding from any foreign government, individual, or corporation — a request he declined late Tuesday in a letter citing confidentiality agreements. “[T]he information you seek is legally controlled by the individual entities and not mine to disclose,” he said, adding that he was not involved in the day-to-day operation of the organizations. “As a board-member, I have a fiduciary duty that includes the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of non-public corporate information. The information may also be subject to various other legal requirements or contractual arrangements that prohibit its disclosure.” According to a senior GOP aide close to the confirmation process, “Senators are not reacting well to this response.”
No cabinet candidate has EVER been requested to provide these things.
FYI- Condi was on Chevron's board of directors & one of their largest tankers was the "Condi" - never disclose at her co nfirmations
FYI-who gives a shit? Last time I checked Chevron wasn't some how linked to Hamas. Hagel is extremely questionable,much like Obama and his whole Regime.
"Nothing. That is what President Barack Obama did on the night of September 11, 2012, as terrorists attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and killed four Americans, among them Ambassador Christopher Stevens. President Obama’s inaction was revealed in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday by outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey."
Under direct questioning by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Panetta admitted that he had no communication with President Obama after their “pre-scheduled” meeting at 5:00 p.m. EDT. The attack on the consulate had already been under way for 90 minutes at that time. Neither the president nor anyone else from the White House called afterwards to check what was happening; the Commander-in-Chief had left it “up to us,” said Panetta.
Panetta’s testimony directly contradicts President Obama’s own claim to have issued “three direectives” as soon as he learned “what was going on” in Benghazi. As he told a Denver reporter in October:
"I gave three very clear directives. Number one, make sure we are securing our personnel and that we are doing whatever we need to. Number two, we are going to investigate exactly what happened and make sure it doesn't happen again. Number three, find out who did this so we can bring them to justice."
That same claim was subsequently repeated by other Democrats, including Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, who came to the president’s defense. But if those directives were indeed given--and proof has never been produced--they were given long after the attack, not while the attack was going on, during which time the president did nothing.
"While giving Senate testimony regarding Benghazi on Feb. 7, Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta said Obama was not present nor did he communicate with the Sec. of Defense during the Benghazi attack."
More ineptness from the Drone Master in Chief.
fyi - the attack lasted less than three hours 3:40-6:07PM when the White House was notified by the State dept
Spinning for Obama and Hillary?
ineptness? no ,...................derecliction of duty.
I think Barry knows exactly what he's doing when it comes to accomplishing his agenda however when it comes to actually being a president he is inept (his heart isn't in it either) and that leads to dereliction of duty of which he has done numerous times.
barry does what he's told to do. he doesnt like being president,...too much work, but he and his wife certainly like the perks.
Yes indeed they sure do.