Former Pennsylvania Govenror Ed Rendell’s second term in office may have come to an end in early 2011, but he’s back in the headlines today, confirming that the Treasury Department has subpoenaed records of payments received at speaking engagements, with particular interest in a number of speeches he gave on behalf of a terrorist organization.
Rendell repeatedly spoke on behalf of the Mujahedin-e Khalq, a State Department listed terrorist organization, though it is not yet apparent from the investigation whether he was paid directly for those speeches. The former governor insists he “did nothing wrong” and promised to cooperate with the probe.
Taking funds to work on behalf of a terrorist organization is generally illegal, the State Department noted, though it refused to comment on the specifics of the Rendell case. Even if Rendell wasn’t paid, the 2010 Holder v. Humanitarian Law ruling would seem to criminalize speeches on their behalf.
Rendell is hardly alone in this regard, however, as the MeK has bought off a large number of national security officials, offering them as much as $20,000 for a 20 minute speech endorsing the group and demanding that it be removed from the terrorist list.
Historically the MeK has launched a number of attacks against US targets, and the group has been on the State Department’s list of terrorists since the list was first created. The group’s deep pockets and recent ties to terror attacks inside Iran have made it the darling of a certain segment of hawks, and some have argued in favor of delisting them for the sheer benefit of it constituting a “provocative” action against Iran.
The U.S. pays the MEK millions to conduct acts of terror in Iran. Obviously, those U.S. dollars paid to politicians, such as Rendell, are U.S. tax dollars as that is the only currency supporting MEK. It would not be credible to maintain that Iran is paying the MEK to kill Iranian citizens as MEK has been banned from Iran because of its terrorist acts committed in Iran. Many Israeli supported think tanks in the U.S. have been lobbying to have MEK removed from the State Dept. terrorist list. Rendell is certainly aware of the terrorist acts committed by MEK from its Iraqi command posts.
Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is one of the elite…nothing will become of this "investigation" except perhaps the MeK quickly (and quietly) being removed from the State Department's Terrorist List – especially when the former governor is one of the uber-elite Clintonistas.
So….move along – nothing to see here.
This guy should count himself lucky. The government now has assumed the power to execute by drone US citizens for "terrorist speech" and to kill their children later, and to kill anybody around them or their children when the missiles hit.
Why does he rate an investigation instead of a Hellfire missile?
"Mr. J. Q. Public, you're under arrest for providing material support to a terrorist organization."
"I'm Ed Rendell."
"Oh, sorry, sir. Nevermind. You're free to go."
Hey there terrorists, you either with us or else?
What a hoot. Old Eddie is a loyal charter member of AIPAC. The guy is probably a dual citizen to boot. This is joke or revenge for something he failed to do while in office.
If they were Muslim college kids who sent 20 dollars to a group that gives ponchos to the Taliban they would be in solitary confinement and be looking at 20 year prison sentences. Everyone knows these laws are not for white men- but for the poor and the brown- to criminalize political activity of non white people in the US.
Well, if they are now targeting Ed Rendell, then they really need to go after the folks behind all the "De-List MEK" ads running on the D.C. airwaves over the past month. Hypocrites, all of them…
20.000 US dollar, thats all…? US can hire Al Queida for free or even less then that, $5000, dollars per dozen and let Saudis and UAE to pay the bill as they did in Libya. But I still wonder what happened to that $53billion dollars of Libyan money and where is that $17billion Iraqi money that they (US) lost, and what happened to the English report which were supposed to find out about lies said and made by Tony Blair and his party of Laborer…?
What is this world is coming to, a bigger MAFIA organization hand in hand with senators, governors, government and governments appointees and terrorists in cooperation.
Rendell is hardly alone in this regard, however, as the MeK has bought off a large number of national security officials, offering them as much as $20,000 for a 20 minute speech endorsing the group and demanding that it be removed from the terrorist list.
More proof that the speech industry has become a legal way to bribe government officials.
The list of Americas who have take tens of thousads of dollars from the MeK (AIPAC) is long and it is made up of high ranking officials. Includig the former head of the FBI, the former Chaiman of the JCS and the former commandant of the Marine Corps. So why is Ed being singled out? Not that it matters if you think the US Justice (sic) Department is really going to do anything about this I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.