House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) says he was “baffled” and “shocked” by a report that Israel was spying on U.S. negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and passing information to American lawmakers.
“I read that story this morning and frankly I was a bit shocked because there’s no information revealed to me whatsoever,” Boehner told reporters Tuesday at his weekly press briefing.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Israel was engaged in a spy operation to uncover details about the nuclear negotiations in order to “build a case against” the deal. Part of the tactic, according to the report, was to share the information with lawmakers and others.
Boehner says he wasn’t aware that the Israelis were passing information to Members of Congress.
“I was shocked by the fact that there were reports in this press article that information was being passed on from the Israelis to Members of Congress,” the Ohio lawmaker said. “I am not aware of that at all. “
When asked if such a move was appropriate, Boehner added, “I am not sure what the information was, but I’m baffled by it.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress at Boehner’s invitation earlier this month. The Speaker is slated to visit Israel in the coming days.
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