Ex-AIPAC Executives’ Trial Set for June

[Tom Joad]

http://tinyurl.com/2wdpv9
From the Wall Street Journal.

The politically charged espionage trial of two former executives at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, is tentatively set for June, according to a lawyer involved in the proceedings.

The Justice Department’s case against Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman was initially expected to begin early last year but has been weighed down by deliberations over which classified materials should be admissible in court, according to the attorney.

The two former AIPAC executives have been charged with breaking the U.S. Espionage Act by receiving classified intelligence on the Middle East from former Pentagon official Lawrence Franklin, and conveying it to Israeli officials.

Franklin pleaded guilty in late 2005 to the charge of illegally transferring and handing classified materials. The Iran expert and Farsi speaker has yet to begin serving his more than 12-year sentence, however, as its tied to the completion of the AIPAC trial.
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All-Star Cast promised. Should be fun.
:popcorn:

[Sherman A1]

1. Agreed

Should be VERY entertaining..... and they are our Friends?

[Poll_Blind]

2. Maybe Theodore Olson can help out, he did such a great job...

...on the Pollard Case.

PB

[Tom Joad]

3. Teddy is helping Jane Harman. Didn't know he was involved in the Pollard case,

interesting.

http://www.stopaipac.org/spystory.htm

[Poll_Blind]

4. Wow, he really is getting to be the go-to lawyer for such matters...n/t

PB

[Tom Joad]

5. He also helped put the bush-boy in office in the first place... its not like W was elected.

"Theodore Olson is one of the most prominent ultra-conservative lawyers in Washington. Olson came to Washington in 1981 to work in President Reagan's Justice Department and later represented the former president during the Iran-Contra scandal. Having argued the Supreme Court case of Vice President Albert Gore Jr. v. Gov. George W. Bush that essentially decided the presidential election in his client's favor, Olson has remained a key player on the national stage.

"He has served on the boards of various right-wing foundations and think tanks, including the Washington Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm with an ultra-conservative and free-market emphasis, and the Independent Women's Forum. Olson also was the head of the Washington D.C. chapter of the right-wing Federalist Society.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Theodore_B._Olson
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What scum....

[wellst0nev0ter]

6. Who Cares? CAIR Is Still A Terra-ist Organization

:sarcasm:

[Poll_Blind]

7. If I lived in California, would Barbara Boxer ship me to Gitmo for...

...talking on the phone with CAIR 6 weeks ago? I'll even pony up- I offered to HELP THEM. Waiting for the Patriot Act Siren to descend from the ceiling like Groucho Marx's "secret word" duck on "You Bet Your Life". Stilllllll waiting.

Oh, hey...is that it?

No, sorry. I think a squirrel was on the roof.

:o

PB

[wellst0nev0ter]

8. LOOOL!

sorry, still laughing :rofl:

[Behind the Aegis]

9. Has she shipped people to Gitmo?

I was unaware of this.

[Scurrilous]

10. Defendants Are Dealt a Blow In Aipac Case

<snip>

"A federal judge in Virginia has dealt two blows to the defense of a pair of pro-Israel lobbyists accused of illegally trafficking in classified information.

In one ruling this week, Judge Thomas Ellis III rejected defense motions to demand testimony from Israeli government officials. In another decision, the judge refused to suppress statements the FBI obtained in 2004 from the two lobbyists, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, who were later fired from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Defense lawyers said Israeli officials, who refused to appear as witnesses at the trial, could confirm that Messrs. Rosen and Weissman were not paid or unpaid Israeli agents, explain Israel's relationship with Aipac, and aver that the pair actually advanced American interests through any disclosures of classified information.

Judge Ellis ruled that it was immaterial whether the defendants were Israeli agents, in part because the government has pledged not to make such an argument at trial. The judge said other witnesses could adequately address Aipac's relationship with Israel and the impact of any disclosures.

Judge Ellis also said he doubted he had the power to order the Israeli officials to testify. He observed that a legal assistance treaty between Israel and America has a provision precluding its use by private individuals.

Judge Ellis was dismissive of the defendants' claims that the FBI acted improperly by suggesting it was conducting a security clearance investigation when it was actually pursuing a criminal probe. The judge noted that the defendants are well educated and, according to phone taps, immediately suspected the subterfuge."

more

[Tom Joad]

11. Thanks for the update on this. This may tie with the Libby trial as the biggest trial of the year.