"We are gratified that the government has made the decision to drop the charges against Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman and welcome the dismissal of this case."
Contact: Kate Bigam or Jeff Oakley
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 1, 2009 - In response to the governments decision to drop its case against two former American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) staffers accused of passing classified information, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
We are gratified that the government has made the decision to drop the charges against Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman and welcome the dismissal of this case. Information revealed during the pretrial process, along with the rulings of the judge, raised grave concerns that a serious injustice and abuse of power was involved in this case. In particular, use of the 1917 Espionage Act, which had never before been used against private citizens, threatens to stifle free speech and constitutionally protected advocacy.
Both Rosen and Weissman have contributed significantly to Israels and Americas security and well-being over the years, as well as to the strength of United States-Israeli relations. We hope they will be able to resume their careers of service expeditiously.
