Even in a town of bigger-than-life personalities, media mogul Haim Saban stands out -- lion-like in demeanor, furiously determined and unshakably loyal to those people and causes in which he fervently believes.
Those causes: Israel, the Democratic Party and medical philanthropy -- in that order. And he has a history of putting his vast fortune behind all three.
This week, Saban has found himself entangled in the controversy surrounding Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, the Democratic congresswoman from Venice. At some point in 2005, Harman was recorded on federal wiretaps as part of an espionage investigation of a pro-Israel lobby group. According to the Congressional Quarterly and the New York Times, Harman offered to intervene in the investigation in return for the group's support of her quest to be named head of the House Intelligence Committee.
According to press reports, an alleged agent from the lobbying group told Harman that he would get Saban -- who holds both Israeli and U.S. citizenship -- to withhold contributions from then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi unless the San Francisco congresswoman agreed to name Harman chairwoman. (On Tuesday, Harman denied any wrongdoing and challenged the Justice Department to release any materials implicating her.)
Both the FBI and the Justice Department say Harman never tried to influence the case, and when Saban was asked via e-mail by The Times what the story was behind these allegations, he e-mailed back: "No idea."
Nevertheless, it's no surprise that anyone concerned with U.S.-Israel issues would invoke Saban's name. His continuing concern for the Jewish state is not so much a matter of public record as it is a signature of his political participation and his personal identity.
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Saban and his family fled to Israel along with much of Egypt's Jewish community during the 1956 Suez War. Later, Saban immigrated to the United States, where he became a deeply committed Democrat; until the fundraising regulations were tightened, Saban was the party's leading individual donor.
In 2003, Saban -- who made a fortune on the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" -- gave the Democratic National Committee $7 million, one of the largest donations ever received by a U.S. political party. Terry McAuliffe, the party's then-chairman, called Saban to tell him: "You're the man!"
