House Speaker John Boehner said he was “shocked” by a recent report that the Israeli government spied on Iranian nuclear talks and leaked information on the developing deal to lawmakers, and that he hadn’t heard anything from the Israelis himself.
“I’m not sure what the information was. But I’m baffled by it,” Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
He said that “no information (was) revealed to me whatsoever” on the talks.
The number two House Democrat, Rep. Steny Hoyer, also said he hadn’t received any information from the alleged leaks. Hoyer, who has a history of working across the aisle on Iran sanctions legislation, said he “was not aware” of any information being passed from Israel to Members of Congress and only just saw the news report Tuesday.
Hoyer said any impact on relations between the nations would depend on what kind of information might have been shared, but acknowledged that spying is not an unusual practice for most nations.
“All nations try to get as much information as they can about what’s going on that affects them — including the United States of America, as we know,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday that Israelis eavesdropped on the confidential talks and leaked selective intelligence with the intent of rallying Democratic opposition to the developing deals. But the substance of the alleged leaks — and indeed, whether they actually occurred — was unclear on Tuesday, as congressional leadership proclaimed ignorance and Israel denied any spying had occurred. A senior official in the Israeli Prime Minister’s office called the allegations “utterly false.”
“The state of Israel does not conduct espionage against the United States or Israel’s other allies. The false allegations are clearly intended to undermine the strong ties between the United States and Israel and the security and intelligence relationship we share,” the official told CNN.
Nevertheless, the report appeared to have put Speaker Boehner in an awkward spot. He sidestepped a question on whether the spying was appropriate, saying only he didn’t know what kind of information was reportedly leaked so he couldn’t comment.
The Ohio Republican has been an ardent and active defender of Israel in the face of what Republicans have said is President Barack Obama’s lukewarm support for the nation.
Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a controversial address to Congress without alerting the White House earlier this month, a move that strained already tense relations between the two leaders. And the House Speaker is also scheduled to visit Israel for a meeting with the prime minister in the coming weeks.