The US government is to drop charges against two officials of the US’ most powerful pro-Israel lobby group accused of spying for the Jewish state because earlier court rulings had made the case unwinnable and the trial would disclose classified information.
The two accused men, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, worked for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which helps drives major funding for some US members of Congress.
They were accused of providing defense secrets to Naor Gilon, the chief political officer at the Israeli embassy in Washington, about US policy toward Iran and al-Qaeda in league with a former Pentagon analyst who has since been jailed for 12 years.
Dana Boente, who was prosecuting the case in Virginia, said the case was dropped because pre-trial court rulings had complicated the government’s case by requiring a higher level of proof of intent to spy.
The court said the prosecution would have to prove not only that the pair had passed on classified information but that they intended to harm the US in doing so.
Rosen and Weissman argued they were merely using the back-channel contacts with government officials, lobbyists and diplomats that are common in Washington.
The defense intended to call former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rica and other officials to establish that the government regularly used AIPAC to discreetly send information to Israel.
A former Pentagon analyst, Lawrence Franklin, has already pleaded guilty to disclosing classified information to Rosen and Weissman.
The dropping of the charges will come as a relief to AIPAC because the case threatened to overshadow its annual conference this weekend at which it parades support from US politicians. It was also an embarrassment which laid the lobby group open to charges of putting Israel’s interests above those of the US.
The case has been further complicated by allegations that a member of the US Congress, Jane Harman, told an Israeli agent that she would pressure the justice department to reduce spying charges against the two former AIPAC officials.
A report in the political publication Congressional Quarterly said the Israeli agent allegedly offered to get a wealthy donor who helps fund election campaigns for Nancy Pelosi, the then minority leader in the House of Representatives, to pressure Pelosi to appoint Harman to a senior position on the congressional intelligence committee.
Harman reportedly finished the discussion with the Israeli spy by saying: “This conversation does not exist.”
Congressional Quarterly obtained a transcript of the tape recorded by the National Security Agency, but Harman has denied the allegations.
An FBI investigation of Harman was dropped after the intervention of then-president George W. Bush’s attorney-general, Alberto Gonzales.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS