Interesting. He definitely has gotten lots of Israeli PAC money, but how much, I have no idea.
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Even though Mitchell is of Lebanese descent, in his eight years
in the Senate, Mitchell has compiled a generally pro-Israel
record. Specifically, the Maine Democrat, who served as a
federal prosecutor and judge before joining the Senate, has
voted in favor of Israel's annual US aid stipend, which now totals
$3 billion a year. Mitchell has also generally opposed the
Reagan administration's efforts to sell arms to moderate Arab
allies of the US, notably Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Not
surprisingly, Mitchell's name has appeared on many of the
Senate letters to Secretary of State Shultz and President
Reagan opposing these arms sale proposals.
Still, Mitchell has been willing to defy the pro-Israel lobby at
times, something many of his colleagues would never even
consider. In particular, last March Mitchell was one of 30
generally pro-Israel senators who wrote to Shultz urging him to
proceed with his Arab-Israeli peace initiative and calling upon
Israel to adhere to the traditional "land-for-peace" formula as the
basis for resolving the festering Arab-Israeli conflict.
The letter provoked a storm of controversy on Capitol Hill and
even one counter letter. Although the letter was quickly forgotten,
it shows that Mitchell has the courage to act independently when
he so desires. Similarly, the new majority leader did not sign the
recent letter to Shultz regarding Arafat's visa application. In this
case, however, an aide claimed it was simply an oversight and
that the Maine Democrat had not seen the letter before it was
delivered to the secretary of state.
washington-report.org
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Pro-Israel Fund-raiser Investigated:
The Los Angeles district attorney's office launched an
investigation into the political dealings of Carl Rheuban, the
chairman of the failed California First Network Savings and
Loan, the Forward newspaper reported in March. Rheuban, who
reportedly gave over $700,000 to congressional candidates from
1985 to 1989, including $44,000 to Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH)
and $43,000 to George Mitchell (D-ME), also ran Pacific PAC, a
pro-Israel political action committee which, according to Federal
Election Committee records, was funded by donations from
Rheuban's family and employees. Rheuban's bank also lent
$350,000 to Alan Cranston (D-CA), who was censured by the
Senate Ethics Committee for his role in the savings-and-loan
scandal. According to Cranston, Rheuban, unlike former Lincoln
Savings and Loans Chairman Charles Keating, never requested
banking favors and only lobbied on behalf of Israel. Roll Call
magazine reported that Rheuban was a close associate of
Michael Goland. Goland, a California fund-raiser and former
AIPAC board member, was convicted twice of illegal election
activities, first in the campaign by pro-Israel activists to defeat
Sen. Charles Percy (R-IL) and elect Paul Simon (D-IL) in 1984,
and later in the campaign to re-elect Sen. Alan Cranston (D-CA)
in 1986.
washington-report.org
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At least one other race deserves notice, but for entirely different
reasons. Sen. George Mitchell (D-ME), a senior member of the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is running for
re-election this fall. The first-term Maine Democrat, who was
appointed in 1980 to fill the vacancy created when Edmund
Muskie became President Carter's secretary of state, has
remained almost completely removed from the Mideast debate
and is heavily favored to win. Despite all this, Mitchell has
received almost $70,000 from pro-Israel PACs all over the
United States.
Mitchell is one of three Democrats aspiring to replace Senate
Majority Leader Robert Byrd (D-WV), who announced earlier this
year that he would step down from his leadership position in the
101st Congress. Given Mitchell's lack of prior involvement with
Mideast issues, the PAC contributions are an important means
of ensuring access to the Maine Democrat. Sens. Daniel Inouye
(D-HI) and Bennett Johnston (D-LA) are the other two men
running to succeed Byrd. Inouye's unquestioning support for
Israel is notorious, while Johnston remains an unknown quantity
with regard to Middle East issues.
washington-report.org |
