WASHINGTON (CNN) - Federal prosecutors have asked that espionage charges be dropped against two former pro-Israel lobbyists.
The acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Dana Boente, said he filed a motion to dismiss the charges against Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman because of a court ruling that would have allowed the defense to use more classified information at trial than the government had wanted.
"When this indictment was brought, the government believed it could prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt," Boente said in a written statement. "Given the diminished likelihood the government will prevail at trial under the additional intent requirements imposed by the court and the inevitable disclosure of classified information that would occur at any trial in this matter, we have asked the court to dismiss the indictment."
Rosen and Weissman, former lobbyists for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, had been accused of receiving classified material and passing it on to Israeli officials.
From CNN Politics
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@Matthew of Washington DC May 1st, 2009 11:44 am ET
Thank you Comrade President Hussein.
Thank you Judas Spector
Thank you Democrat Congresswoman Jane Harman
The Obama administration is becoming one of the most corrupt ones in history … and all in the first 100 days.
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No!! BUSH/CHENNEY are the most corrupt ones in history
NO Thank you President George W Bush
No Thank you Boss Limbaugh /Sean Hannity
No Thank you Michelle Bachman
Leave God's chosen alone....Complain all you want; the GREAT ONE is on their sides....You won't win...Amen.
Rep. Jane Harman has something to do with this...I wish the JD would actully publish the transcript of Jane Harman and the Israeli Spy. Oh and by the way Mrs. Harman claims she didn't offer any support but can anyone tell me what the hell is a U.S. Congresswoman doing talking to a foreigh agent? How come the media is not all over this? Hmmmmmm.... Think about that!
It's a good thing that we all can contribute to the national dialogue so freely and easily these days...the unfortunate part is how many less then bright, less then truly informed, less then rational people there are spending their time this way.
You can be sure that Jane Harman (caught on the federal wiretap) and Nancy Pelosi (whom Jane Harman lobbied to intervene in this case) had their hands all over this.
Main Street Americans have a lot in common with the Palestinians. Both Jeruselem and Washington, D.C. are under occupation by Israel.
..
"Fair is Fair", you are right– the judge tied the hands of the prosecution by demanding in a pre-trial ruling that they'd have to prove the defendants KNEW their actions would benefit Israel and harm the US, and an appeals court refused to get involved.
Americans should be concerned at the power these people at AIPAC have.
Oh, and by the way, nobody was more adamant at defending Israel's sins as the Bush Admin.
For anyone to seem surprised that this crime is being swept under the rug is the story.
Bad Politics et al. - I wonder if the Israelis would have a need to do that if we gave them all the cooperation we had promised them. I am sure that other allied countries have some spy efforts going in the country as well. You all seem to think that it is just the Israelis that do something against us. Given they are under constant threat, it isn't surprising that they try to get all the information they can.
Let me say something. As a Jew I'm upset at this. I'm also upset at the action of some to defend this.
Google-Feds dropping charges against Pro Israel Lobbyists
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Had the case gone to trial, Rosen and Weissman had won the right to subpoena former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other top Bush administration officials. The defense believed their testimony would support the claim that the United States regularly uses AIPAC to send back-channel communications to Israel. Prosecutors had sought unsuccessfully to quash the subpoenas.