[Washington Post] Jerry Markon - A federal judge Friday issued a rare ruling that ordered Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and more than ten other prominent current and former government officials to testify on behalf of two pro-Israel lobbyists accused of violating the 1917 Espionage Act at their upcoming criminal trial. The opinion by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III in Alexandria directed that subpoenas be issued to Rice, national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, former high-level Department of Defense officials Paul D. Wolfowitz and Douglas J. Feith, and Richard L. Armitage, the former deputy secretary of state. Attorneys for Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman say Rice and the other officials could help clear their clients because they provided the former lobbyists with sensitive information similar to what they were charged for. Judge Ellis wrote that the testimony could help "exculpate the defendants by negating the criminal states of mind the government must prove.'' "For over two years, we have been explaining that our clients' conduct was lawful and completely consistent with how the U.S. government dealt with AIPAC and other foreign policy groups," lawyers Abbe D. Lowell and John Nassikas said in a joint statement.
2007-11-05 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive