Vanity Fair's September edition, now out in New York but yet to hit national newsstands, packs a punch with an article about Sibel Edmonds, the FBI translator who has been gagged by the Bush Administration from revealing information about conversations she translated surrounding a seemingly major corruption scandal involving Turkish nationals and U.S. lawmakers, RAW STORY can reveal.
RAW STORY acquired a copy of the article by David Rose Wednesday evening. The following are some brief excerpts surrounding the meatier allegations Edmonds has made-some of which the FBI has confirmed-about the specifics surrounding her case. According to those briefed on the case, Edmonds says she has heard classified wiretaps which indicate Turkish nationals tried to bribe both Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Chicago and Washington.
Edmonds was fired from the FBI after trying to persuade her bosses to investigate a Turkish family, the Dickersons, she said was trying to trade on her status as an FBI operative. She suspected that the American Turkish Council, which the family tried to persuade her to join, was a front group for criminal activity.
Using a rarely-invoked "states-secrets" provision, the Bush Administration has gagged Edmonds from talking at all, or being heard in Court.
quote: Vanity Fair insists, however, "there is no evidence that any payment was ever made to Hastert or his campaign. Nevertheless, a senior official at the Turkish Consulate is said to have claimed in one recording that the price for Hastert to withdraw the resolution would have been at least $50,000."
Hastert's spokesman denied the allegations, and said he knew nothing of the Turkish group.
Could be interesting!
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I'm going to poke this one with caution, particularly since it seems kind of speculative to me. Still, as you said it might be interesting (didn't the whole Downing Street Memo thing start on Raw Story, as well?)...
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