There was hint of this last week. I’m not sure how many readers will be familiar with this case or with AIPAC. Wikipedia will fill you in. Better yet, you could turn to this ground-breaking and hugely controversial essay
Federal prosecutors are moving to dismiss espionage-related charges against two former pro-Israel lobbyists who had been accused of disclosing classified defense information.
The government’s decision to drop the charges ends a tortuous 4-year legal battle in which critics accused the government of seeking to criminalize the sort of back-channel discussions that are commonplace in Washington among government officials, lobbyists and reporters.
Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman had been top lobbyists for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, an influential pro-Israel lobbying group.
Acting U.S. Attorney Dana Boente said the government moved to dismiss the charges after concluding that pretrial rulings would make it too difficult for the government to prove its case.
It’s possible that the rationale given for dropping the case reflects reality. It is equally possible that it is bullshit. Had this gone to trial, further light would have been shone on AIPAC and a far more public light than was the case with the Walt/Mearsheimer paper. I’m pissed which is, of course, of no consequence to anyone but me.
Update: On that other hand, Matt Yglesis looks at another aspect of the prosecution and concludes differently.
This is almost certainlythe right decision. I enjoyed AIPAC getting a black eye, and it wouldn’t be a bad thing if their dealings got somewhat more scrutiny, but the particulars of this case seem an awful lot like an effort to establish a dangerous precedent that can be used in the future against all manner of journalists.
Update 2: Andrew Sullivan on the matter with some valuable internal links to others.
