Lobbyists For Israel Indicted By U.S.
2 Men Accused Of Conspiring To Leak Secret Information
The Justice Department indicted two top former officials with a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group Thursday after they allegedly conspired to communicate classified defense information.
U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty said the men were attempting to influence U.S. foreign policy.
He said trafficking in information is commonplace in the nation's capital but a "clear line separates classified information from everything else."
"Today's charges are about crossing that clear line," McNulty said.
The indictment paints a more detailed picture of the case against Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin, who was charged in May with leaking classified information to the pro-Israel lobbyists about possible attacks by Iran on U.S. forces in Iraq.
The indictment charges Steven Rosen, former foreign policy director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, with conspiring to communicate classified information.
Franklin, who worked on the Iran desk in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's office, also has been charged with three counts of communication of national defense information to persons not entitled to receive it. In Thursday's indictment, Rosen was charged with aiding and abetting Franklin in one of those counts by passing along written classified information.
Keith Weissman, a former senior Middle East analyst with the American-Israeli group, was charged with one count of conspiracy to communicate classified national defense information.
Lawyers for Rosen and Weissman denied the allegations.
People sympathetic to Rosen and Weissman have argued that while Franklin allegedly violated his government security vows, the two former American-Israeli group's employees did little more than trade in information, which is the stuff of daily business in Washington.
Rosen and Weissman were fired earlier this year.
The Israeli government has denied trying to pry secrets from the United States, with officials pointing out that, given the close ties between the two countries, it has no need to spy.
SHANNON McCAFFREY and WARREN P. STROBEL
Copyright: Knight Ridder News Service
The Justice Department indicted two top former officials with a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group Thursday after they allegedly conspired to communicate classified defense information.
U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty said the men were attempting to influence U.S. foreign policy.
He said trafficking in information is commonplace in the nation's capital but a "clear line separates classified information from everything else."
"Today's charges are about crossing that clear line," McNulty said.
The indictment paints a more detailed picture of the case against Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin, who was charged in May with leaking classified information to the pro-Israel lobbyists about possible attacks by Iran on U.S. forces in Iraq.
The indictment charges Steven Rosen, former foreign policy director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, with conspiring to communicate classified information.
Franklin, who worked on the Iran desk in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's office, also has been charged with three counts of communication of national defense information to persons not entitled to receive it. In Thursday's indictment, Rosen was charged with aiding and abetting Franklin in one of those counts by passing along written classified information.
Keith Weissman, a former senior Middle East analyst with the American-Israeli group, was charged with one count of conspiracy to communicate classified national defense information.
Lawyers for Rosen and Weissman denied the allegations.
People sympathetic to Rosen and Weissman have argued that while Franklin allegedly violated his government security vows, the two former American-Israeli group's employees did little more than trade in information, which is the stuff of daily business in Washington.
Rosen and Weissman were fired earlier this year.
The Israeli government has denied trying to pry secrets from the United States, with officials pointing out that, given the close ties between the two countries, it has no need to spy.
SHANNON McCAFFREY and WARREN P. STROBEL
Copyright: Knight Ridder News Service
posted by R7 | 8/07/2005 02:17:00 AM
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