I just learned via Juan Cole that the NSA recorded Jane Harman (D-CA) taking a bribe from an Israeli spy. Supposedly, the Israeli spy is offering to get Harman the Chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee in exchange for Harman pressuring the Justice Dept to have the charges against two APAIC lobbyists dropped.

Guess who my Rep is? Yes, that's right. Jane Harman (D-CA). She already lost my vote in January.

This story gets worse the further I dig. The monitoring of Harman started a long time ago and in 2006 a formal investigation was going to be opened against Harman. The Justice Dept looked at the evidence from the NSA and approved the investigation but before the Congressional leaders could be notified (the next legal step) the Whitehouse interfered and shut the investigation down:

contrary to reports that the Harman investigation was dropped for "lack of evidence," it was Alberto R. Gonzales, President Bush's top counsel and then attorney general, who intervened to stop the Harman probe.

Why? Because, according to three top former national security officials, Gonzales wanted Harman to be able to help defend the administration's warrantless wiretapping program, which was about break in The New York Times and engulf the White House.

It's just... *sigh* It's hard to imagine that our government really is THIS corrupt.