The Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, an independent Washington-based policy research institute, has addressed three recent statements to the upcoming trial of former AIPAC officials Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman who have been indicted for espionage and giving classified documents to the Israeli government. Larry Franklin, formerly an analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency, has been convicted for his part in these transactions and is currently serving a 12-year jail term. IRMep’s latest press release regarding a correction it is seeking from the Washington Post neatly summarizes the state of the Rosen-Weissman indictment.

IRMep has just published a book on “how the Neoconservatives broke the law to receive America” called “Deadly Dogma.” The author is Grant F. Smith, and it is available from their website, www.irmep.org.

Praise for review copies of Deadly Dogma:

“I had no idea so many neoconservatives had a history of direct or indirect involvement in espionage against the United States….a real eye opener!”

“I think the cover graphic says it all: if neoconservatives continue to launch hostile ‘arrows’ of the ‘noble lie’, Israeli ‘interests’ and first strike strategies against core American ideals, the eagle will fall.”.

Mainstream Media: Spinning the AIPAC Spy Case as a 1st Amendment Issue

On Saturday, April 29, 2006 the Washington Post will issue a correction to a Walter Pincus story about the AIPAC espionage case.

The correction came after IRmep engaged in one month process working through the newspaper’s Ombudsman office. At first Ombudsman Deborah Howell was reluctant to issue a correction. At stake was a citation in an AIPAC espionage trial story in which reporter Walter Pincus misquoted the 1917 Espionage Act. The Act is used to prosecute persons suspected of relaying classified information which can be used to “the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign country.”

After receiving numerous examples from IRmep of how Pincus’ mistake was being propagated into other news stories trivializing AIPAC lobbyist Weissman and Rosen’s alleged criminal activities, the Washington Post finally gave in and committed to a correction of the story.

IRmep is still concerned that the Washington Post and other newspapers of record are trying to frame the prosecution of Weissman and Rosen as a looming threat to journalists’ ability to cover national security issues. Other Pincus articles have quoted verbatim the defense team’s assertion that prosecuting two lobbyists for espionage activity is a threat to freedom of speech.

IRmep believes this is nonsense, but the presiding judge in the case, T.S. Ellis, is still considering a motion to dismiss the charges on the basis of the freedom of speech argument. He will rule on the defense team’s motion to dismiss on May 23, 2006.

Before that date, IRmep will attempt to file another amicus brief to the court demonstrating that the Espionage statute functions as a sort of “regulation FD“. Fair Disclosure is the SEC rule that protects small investors by regulating the disclosure of material information on publicly traded companies to prevent “insider trading”.

By allegedly recruiting former Pentagon official Lawrence Franklin (sentenced to 12 years in prison) to disclose classified information in return for a potential job on the National Security Council, Weissman and Rosen were in no way exercising “freedom of speech”, but rather corrupting US Middle East policy formulation to the detriment of all Americans.

IRmep considers the Rosen and Weissman criminal trial to be a potential turning point in overhauling a broken US policy formulation process. A successful prosecution could mean the permanent removal of one of the most damaging unregistered foreign agents ever activated in the United States: the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Removing AIPAC will level the playing field and outlaw trading inside information for unwarranted influence. After AIPAC a broader array of important policy voices will be heard in Washington.