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Article: The voice within: America and Israel.(controversy over the political status and influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- June 6, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON, DC
WHEN is a lobby group a political committee? The answer is when it gives or receives more than $1,000 for the purpose of ''influencing any election for federal office''. And why does this definition matter? The answer is that a political committee must reveal both the source and the destination of its donations. So, if the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)-acknowledged as one of Washington's finest arm-twisters-is shown to be a political committee, then those who believe Jewish money distorts America's foreign policy may find some useful evidence. Or so Paul Findley, a former Republican congressman from Illinois, and James Akins, a ...