Jane Harman



Jane Lakes Harman, a Democrat, member of the U. S. House of Representatives has represented the 36th District of California since 2001. (map)

Iraq War
Harman voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Support for gun control
Harman cosponsored H.R. 1312 (Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2005) on July 28, 2005.

Justice Department investigation
In October 2006, it was reported that Harman was under investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly (with the help of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee enlisting wealthy donors to lobby House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to retain Harman as the head Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. The investigation into the alleged campaign to support Harman for the leadership post began in mid-2005 after media reports said that Pelosi might name Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) to succeed Harman. In addition to investigating alleged calls made at Harman’s behest by wealthy Democratic Party contributors to Pelosi, the probe is also looking into whether, in exchange for help from AIPAC, Harman agreed to try to persuade the Bush Administration to go easy on AIPAC officials involved in a broader investigation. 

Harman responded to the announcement in a voicemail message stating that any investigation of her would be "irresponsible, laughable and scurrilous." A spokesman for AIPAC, a powerful Washington-based organization with more than 100,000 members across the U.S., denied any wrongdoing by the group and stressed that it did not even take sides between Harman and Hastings in regards to the committee assignment. 

In October 2006, a Democratic congressional official noted that if Democrats regained the House after the 2006 elections, Pelosi would likely not appoint Harman as the chairman of the Intelligence Committee. Acknowledging that the two had a rocky relationship, he stated “To say it is unlikely she will get the job is accurate.”

In November 2006, Speaker-elect Pelosi announced that she would not be choosing Harman for the top intelligence post. 

Release of Intelligence Committee report on ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham
In October of 2006, Harman released to the media the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's report on the ethical violations undertaken by ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham while serving on the body. This was against the wishes of committee chairman Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) and House Republicans who did not wish it to be released in the run up to the 2006 election when it was likely to be politicized. The action set off a series of political squabbles within the committee. 
 * See Pete Hoekstra-Chairmanship of the Intelligence Committee

Bio
Harmon was born June 28, 1945 in New York City. She was educated at Smith College and the Harvard University School of Law, and was a lawyer, a staff member for US Senator John V. Tunney, adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, chief counsel and staff director for the U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee on constitutional rights, deputy secretary to the U.S. Cabinet at the White House (1977-1978) and special counsel to the Department of Defense before entering the House. Harman ran for Governor of California in 1998 but was defeated in the Democratic primary by then-Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis.

She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative Congressional Democrats, one of the few members who is not from the Deep South.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Republicans nominated Brian Gibson, and the Libertarian Party nominated Mike Brinkley to face Harman in her November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Harman easily won reelection.

Committees

 * House Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
 * Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness Science and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Intelligence Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment
 * Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack
 * House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence - Ranking Minority Member
 * Member of the Aspen Institute / Middle East Strategy Group
 * Member of the Aspen Strategy Group

Contact
DC Office: 2400 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-8220 Fax: 202-226-7290 Web Email Website

District Office - El Segundo: 2321 East Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 3270 El Segundo, CA 90245 Phone: 310-643-3636 Fax: 310-643-6445

District Office - Wilmington: 544 North Avalon Boulevard, Suite 307 Wilmington, CA 90744 Phone: 310-549-8282 Fax: 310-549-8250

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002
 * American Israel Public Affairs Committee

External resources

 * Official website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database
 * CBS News story
 * Op Ed piece on the Patriot Act
 * "House Democrats Demand Accuracy in ABC 9/11 Film," HouseDemocrats.gov, September 6, 2006. re Reps. John Conyers, Jr., John Dingell, Jane Harman, and Louise Slaughter and "The Path to 9/11" (2006 Docudrama)

External articles

 * Timothy Burger, " Exclusive: Feds Probe a Top Democrat's Relationship with AIPAC," Time, October 20, 2006.
 * Mark Mazzetti, "For a Top Democrat, Further Climb Seems Out," New York Times, October 24, 2006.
 * Jonathan Weisman and Peter Slevin, "Pelosi Passes on Hastings, Harman for House Intel Chair," Washington Post, November 28, 2006.
 * Jim Doyle, "Key lawmaker calls spy program illegal. Once an advocate of wiretaps and Iraq war, Harman is now criticizing Bush's policies," San Francisco Chronicle, December 2, 2006.
 * Neil A. Lewis and Mark Mazzetti, "Lawmaker Is Said to Have Agreed to Aid Lobbyists," New York Times, April 20, 2009.
 * Greg Miller, "Rep. Jane Harman denies wiretap report: The congresswoman from Venice says she didn't lobby the Justice Department on an espionage case, as reported by Congressional Quarterly," Los Angeles Times, April 21, 2009.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Calitics
 * Tiger Beat: Music, Culture, and Politics
 * From the Fever Swamp