PHILADELPHIA — Prosecutors filed a motion today to dismiss the criminal indictment against Middle East Forum visiting fellow Steven J. Rosen.
Formerly on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Mr. Rosen and his colleague Keith Weissman were charged with violating the World War I-era Espionage Act; specifically, that they had disseminated sensitive information gathered during conversations with government officials to members of the press and foreign diplomats.
In today’s press release, Mr. Rosen’s lawyers assert that “It was wrong for the government to single out AIPAC and our clients and allege wrongdoing when all they ever did was their job of helping the United States create better foreign policy; it was wrong to apply the Espionage Act to people who clearly were not spies; it was wrong to invent a new application of a 1917 law to non-government officials when government officials in the case were not charged and even were promoted; it was wrong to seek to chill debate about American foreign policy by charging foreign policy advocates and threatening that these charges could be brought against journalists; and, it was especially wrong, not to see the many flaws in the case so that these two men and their families had to live under this unfair cloud for so long.”
The Washington Post called the decision “a stunning vindication” for Rosen and Weissman.
The Middle East Forum congratulates them both and looks forward to Mr. Rosen’s being able to devote full attention to his Forum activities.
Since joining the Forum as a visiting fellow, Mr. Rosen has been active with the Washington Project which he heads and is dedicated to influencing U.S. policy in the Middle East. In particular, his “Obama Mideast Monitor” provides important information on the new administration’s actions in the Middle East. The Monitor was widely credited with initially exposing the unsuitability of Charles Freeman to serve as head of the National Intelligence Council, prompting Freeman eventually to withdraw his name from consideration.
Immediate release
For more information, contact Amy Shargel at
215-546-5406, ex. 22
Shargel@MEForum.org
