Boehner: Israel Never Gave Me Inside Info About Iran Talks

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is “shocked” and “baffled” at Monday’s Wall Street Journal report which claims Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government spied on U.S. nuclear talks with Iran and gave confidential information to U.S. lawmakers in an effort to mobilize opposition to a potential nuclear deal. He denied that he was given any insider information about the negotiations.

“I read that story this morning, and frankly, I was a bit shocked,” Boehner said Tuesday, according to The Hill. “There was no information revealed to me whatsoever.”

Boehner added: “I’m shocked by the fact that there were reports in this press article that information was being passed on by the Israelis to members of Congress. I’m not aware of that at all. I’m baffled by it.”

“It is one thing for the U.S. and Israel to spy on each other,” one U.S. official told the WSJ. “It is another thing for Israel to steal U.S. secrets and play them back to U.S. legislators to undermine U.S. diplomacy.”

For their part, Israel denied involvement and said the allegations are just meant to disrupt the U.S.-Israel relationship.

UPDATE — 3:10 p.m. ET: Here is the video of Boehner’s comments:

[Image via screengrab]

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