At least nine members of Congress — both Democratic and Republican — are calling for an investigation of the new chairman of the National Intelligence Council over his financial ties to Saudi Arabia and his criticism of Israel.
Charles “Chas” Freeman, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia who served as president of the Washington-based Middle East Policy Council think tank, was tapped for the appointment by Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair. The council’s chairman oversees the production of National Intelligence Estimates, among other duties.
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) wrote a letter to Edward Maguire, the inspector-general for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, calling for a review of whether Free-man had any conflicts of interest with Saudi Arabia, noting the money the Middle East Policy Council had received from Saudi King Abdullah.
The two highest-ranking Republicans in the House of Representatives, Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, were among those who signed that letter. Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley was the sole Democrat to sign the missive.
The letter asks for a probe of “both personal financial disclosures and the list of all contributors to the Middle East Policy Council across all years that Ambassador Freeman drew a salary from the foundation — and report back to Congress on any potential conflicts of interest.”
Nonprofit organizations such as the Middle East Policy Council are not required to publicly disclose their contributors. Freeman served as the council’s chairman since 1997 and said in 2006 that the organization had received a $1 million donation from King Abdullah.
In addition, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), a member of the House Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, sent letters to government officials asking for an investigation.
“In a position as critical as this, we need to ensure that American interests are being served and that no one in the position has established ties to other governments or entities materially supported by foreign governments,” Israel wrote in his letter Maguire.
Israel cited Freeman’s comments on Israel’s “efforts to bomb Lebanon into peaceful coexistence” and his conclusion that “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.” Freeman also has blamed Israel for the failure of peace talks, and he defended Saudi Arabia in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks after the revelation that 15 of the 19 attackers were Saudis.
Freeman does not need to be confirmed by the Senate, and it is unclear what effect an investigation by the DNI inspector-general would have on his functioning in his new position.
His views in the realist school of foreign policy, including his perceived support for the “overly cautious behavior” of the Chinese government in its attack on students in Tiananmen Square in 1989, took a pounding in the blogosphere and in op-eds last week.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said March 3 that he was unaware of concerns about Freeman. However, it was Blair — not President Barack Obama — who made the appointment.
Blair spokeswoman Wendy Morigi did say her boss is aware of the congressional concerns; however, she added, the post is “one of analysis, not policy.”
JTA contributed to this report.