News and Document archive source
copyrighted material disclaimer at bottom of page

NewsMinewar-on-terrorisraelmossadpentagon-spy — Viewing Item


Fbi searches pro israel group offices

Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
   http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/10317481.htm

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/10317481.htm

Posted on Thu, Dec. 02, 2004
ESPIONAGE INVESTIGATION


FBI searches pro-Israel group's offices

Four top officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee were subpoenaed in the FBI's ongoing espionage probe. The lobbying group denied any wrongdoing.

BY WARREN P. STROBEL AND SHANNON MCCAFFREY

wstrobel@krwashington.com


WASHINGTON - FBI agents executed search warrants Wednesday at the headquarters of a leading pro-Israel lobby and delivered grand jury subpoenas in an ongoing probe of alleged espionage for Israel, federal officials and the lobbying group said.

The search and the subpoenas for four top officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee indicate that the politically charged investigation remains active. No criminal charges have been filed in the case.

AIPAC, one of Washington's most influential lobbies, said in a statement that neither the group nor its employees have broken any law.

''We are fully cooperating with the governmental authorities. We believe any court of law or grand jury will conclude that AIPAC employees have always acted legally, properly and appropriately,'' the statement said.

ADDITIONAL FILES

The lobby group said that the FBI, which in August obtained computer files related to two AIPAC employees, returned Wednesday ``and requested and obtained additional files relating to the same two AIPAC staff members and delivered subpoenas requiring the appearance of four senior AIPAC staff before a grand jury.''

U.S. officials previously have identified the two staff members as Steven Rosen, AIPAC's director of foreign policy issues, and Keith Weissman, his deputy and an Iran expert.

The two men have hired Washington lawyer Abbe Lowell to represent them. Lowell's firm, Chadbourne & Park, had no comment.

CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT

The FBI investigation, which has been under way for more than two years, became public in August with news reports that authorities were looking into the handling of classified information by Pentagon employee Lawrence Franklin. Current and former U.S. officials have said that authorities are investigating whether Franklin shared a highly classified draft presidential policy document on Iran with AIPAC staff members, who in turn passed it to Israel.

Investigators have interviewed people at the White House, State Department and Pentagon, the current and former officials said.

Franklin, an analyst in the office of Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith, hasn't been charged with wrongdoing.

The Israeli government has denied that it spied on the United States. Israel says all such activities were halted following the 1985 arrest of Navy analyst Jonathan Pollard, who later was convicted of selling U.S. secrets to Israel.



Aipac lobbyists plead not guilty
American diplomat in baghdad implicated in spy case { August 18 2005 }
Counterintelligence investigates pentagon leak to israeli { September 3 2004 }
Espionage to help prepare israeli attack on iran { August 7 2005 }
FBI probes pentagon spy case
FBI probing suspected israeli spy in pentagon { August 28 2004 }
FBI questions israeli lobbyists in spy probe { August 31 2004 }
Fbi searches pro israel group offices
Franklin expected to plead guilty { September 30 2005 }
Israeli spying investigation grows
Pentagon analyst franklin returns to work
Pentagon official accused of spying for israel { August 27 2004 }
Pentagon official charged with passing secrets to israeli lobby { May 4 2005 }
Pro israel lobby group says fbi raided offices { December 2 2004 }
Wolfowitz questioned in spy probe

Files Listed: 15



Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security
Archives
Support one-state solution for Israel and Palestine Tea Party bumper stickers JFK for Dummies, The Assassination made simple