WASHINGTON - A Federal Court in Virginia will hear verbal arguments today to dismiss the charges against the two former lobbyists of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Steven Rosen and Keith Weisman. Lawyers for the two will tell the court that the indictment against their clients is illegal because the use made of the Espionage Law exceeds the intent of its framers and its wording.
The former senior AIPAC officials stand accused of accepting and passing along secret information to unauthorized persons, among others to reporters and an individual working at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
The case against Weisman and Rosen, which has engendered a great deal of interest because of its implications for free speech, is precedent-setting because the two are private citizens, and are thus ostensibly not subject to the same secrecy obligations as are government employees. Having received the information verbally, they are also not accused of accepting or passing on secret documents. Since the enactment of the Espionage Law almost 90 years ago, no citizen has been tried for such infractions. See op-ed, Page 5
