From: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Subject: pro-Israeli Lobby
Reply-To: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Organization: North Carolina State University
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 20:07:15 GMT

Found on soc.culture.lebanon:


> From The Washington Post of Thursday Nov.5
> 
>     Israel Lobby's Chief Quits After
>     --------------------------------
> Insider Boasts to Caller Turn Up in Print
> -----------------------------------------
> 	The president of  the American
>     Israel Public Affairs Committee, the
>     nation's largest pro-Israel lobby,
>     has resigned after being secretly
>     tape-recorded boasting that AIPAC
>     was "negotiating" with the Clinton
>     campaign about key appointments,
>     and claiming he "cut a deal" with
>     then-Secretary of State James A.
>     Baker III to get Israel extra aid.
> 	David Steiner, a New Jersey real
>     estate developer who has been an
>     active political donor, said in a
>     statement Friday that he was
>     resigning because some statements
>     he made in a phone call two weeks
>     ago "went beyond overzealousness
>     and exaggeration and were simply
>     and totally untrue." Steiner did not
>     return a call to his office yesterday.
> 	Steiner was taped by New York
>     businessman Harry Katz, who
>     called the AIPAC leader Oct. 22,
>     posing as someone who was considering
>     donating $100,000 to pro-Israel
>     congressional candidates.
>     Steiner recommended helping Sen.
>     Robert W. Kasten Jr. (R-Wis.) and
>     cited personal help he had given
>     Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and
>     Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.).
> 	Katz sent the tape to Washington
>     Times, which published an
>     article on it Wednesday.
> 	Katz, 42, an AIPAC member and
>     a financial consultant from Queens,
>     said in an interview that he tricked
>     Steiner because "I don't think the
>     Jewish lobby should have disproportionate
>     political power." He added:
>     "I wanted him to admit to me the
>     incredible infiltration of the Israel
>     lobby into the campaign." He said
>     he has been in legal fights with other
>     Jewish organizations.
> 	A transcript of the interview
>     shows that Steiner told Katz: "We
>     have a dozen people in his [Clinton's]
>     headquarters ...and they're
>     all going to get big jobs." He also
>     said "we're negotiating" with the
>     Clinton camp on who might be secretary
>     of state. Asked who he was
>     hoping for, Steiner replied: "I've got
>     a list. But I can't really go through
>     it. I'm not allowed to talk about it."
> 	An AIPAC official, who asked not
>     to be quoted by name, said there
>     was no such list  and the group had
>     no discussion with the Clinton campaign
>     about possible appointments.
>     In informing the AIPAC executive
>     committee of the resignation Tuesday,
>     officials noted that Steiner had
>     major heart surgery in June and had
>     been under stress since then.
> 	Avis Lavelle a spokesman for
>     the Clinton campaign, said, "We are
>     not negotiating with anybody about
>     any job.
> 	Steiner also said in his talk with
>     Katz that he had met with Baker and
>     "cut a deal with him." Besides Israel's
>     $3 billion a year in U.S. foreign
>     aid, "I got almost a billion dollars in
>     other goodies that people don't even
>     know about." He cited $700 million
>     in U.S. equipment the Army is giving
>     to Israel and $200 million in
>     "prepositioned" U.S. supplies.
> 	Steiner told Katz that AIPAC did
>     not endorse candidates but he named
>     as personal choices Kasten (who was
>     defeated Tuesday), Inouye and Sen.
>     Alfonse M. D'Amato (R-N.Y.).
> 	Noting their pro-Israel records,
>     Steiner said, "I believe in political
>     loyalty, and if someone has been
>     good  for Israel, no matter who, if
>     my brother would run against them,
>     I would support them."
> 	Steiner said he offred to sign a
>     bank loan to help Aspin, adding,
>     "We commissioned a poll" for Inouye
>     and had "to raise $27,000 to
>     pay for it." He asked Katz if he had
>     children who could write checks to
>     candidates. An AIPAC spokeswoman
>     said the group was unaware of
>     any poll for Inouye.
> 	Steiner gave the maximum
>     $50,000 to federal candidates in this
>     election cycle, including, $1,000 to
>     Aspin, the maximum $2,000 to Kasten,
>     and $5,000 to the Wisconsin
>     Republican Party, according to the
>     Federal Election Commission. He
>     gave $66,500 in personal funds to