AIPAC in Serious Trouble, Again

[Jefferson23]

Posted: November 16, 2010 10:34 AM

AIPAC is in big trouble and the media here is ignoring it. If this was, say, the National Rifle Association or NARAL, this story would be on page one.

But it's AIPAC, and few want to mess with it. (NEW: The Jewish FORWARD is on the case).

The story is explained in Al Jazeera and, first, in the Antiwar.com piece but is carried in the court filings by AIPAC and its ex-employee Steve Rosen who was fired by the lobby after being indicted under the Espionage Act (the case never went to trial).

So if you don't trust Al Jaz or Antiwar, go directly to AIPAC's filings for it all in raw, (very raw) form.

So now Rosen is suing AIPAC for "unlawful dismissal" and defamation of character. If he wins, AIPAC could have trouble meeting the mortgage payments on its brand new eight story headquarters a few blocks from the Capitol.

remainder: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mj-rosenberg/aipac-in-serious-trouble-_b_784156.html

[oberliner]

1. Somehow I knew this would be another MJ article just be reading the title

The man is obsessed.

[Violet_Crumble]

2. Thankfully there's an alternative to the hawkishness of AIPAC...

J-Street.

http://jstreet.org/about/about-us

If I were an American citizen, I'd be donating to them because unlike AIPAC, they actually want a peace that's fair to both Israelis and Palestinians...

[shaayecanaan]

3. There's a lot of salacious sexual material in there...

mainly. But occasionally some newsworthy material comes to the fore, such as the following:-

"The FBI has alleged that Larry Franklin, a Pentagon analyst at the time, passed on national security information to Weissman, who in turn shared it with Rosen. The two former defendants did not know then that Franklin was cooperating with the FBI and that the information he provided them was part of a sting operation.

Rosen and Weissman learned from Franklin that Iranian forces were allegedly operating in northern Iraq and that they were plotting to kidnap Israeli operatives. They then disclosed this information to a senior Israeli diplomat, Naor Gilon, and to Washington Post reporter Glenn Kessler. The depositions reveal that after being confronted by the FBI at his home, in what he described as a “very intense exchange of words” Rosen made a phone call to AIPAC’s legal counsel, who was shaken by the news and asked Rosen to come immediately to the lobby’s headquarters.

Rosen then called Rafi Barak, at the time the deputy chief of mission at Israel’s Washington embassy. Rosen convinced Barak to cancel other appointments and meet immediately at a coffee shop. He described to the Israeli diplomat the encounter he had just had with the FBI and the allegations they made about Israelis receiving classified information. “I probably made some reference to Pollard,” Rosen recalled, and Barak, according to the deposition, “got very upset too.”

AIPAC raises this episode in an attempt to prove that Rosen did not follow directly the instructions of the lobby’s lawyer to come immediately to the office. This could demonstrate how Rosen did not live up to AIPAC’s standards."

this from the Forward story:- http://www.forward.com/articles/133172/#ixzz15aMGnsVC

The reference to Pollard probably relates to the fact that he too sought refuge at the Israeli embassy once the FBI were on his tail. The embassy turned him away, as embassies typically do when people are simply trying to evade the law. However many in Israel thought the embassy should have taken him in and it became something of a political football over there.

[Jefferson23]

4. No doubt about it, an interesting tale to watch. n/t

[shaayecanaan]

5. Rosen says his next deposition will be a ripper...

This is not over: Rosen told the Forward that he plans to inflict maximum embarrassment on AIPAC in his next filing.

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/11/17/aipac_gone_wild/index.html

[Jefferson23]

6. Thanks for the link. Among the items, AIPAC paid over 4 million for his

defense..interesting investment that turned out to be...LOL.

[oberliner]

8. Why do you care about this story?

Seems beneath you.

[shaayecanaan]

9. I deliberately refrained from mentioning the more tawdry details...

such as Rosen's activities on Craigslist and so forth. I agree that these details are not particularly newsworthy and it is a pity that Salon.com and the Forward saw fit to concentrate on them, although perhaps donors to the organisation may not be particularly impressed that this is how AIPAC's lobbyists spend their time.

In other respects the story is an interesting look at an organisation that has scored as many own goals as it has against its opposition. Certainly if Rosen wins his suit it may well impact on AIPAC's bottom line as well. So it is a germaine news story in those respects.

[oberliner]

11. Fair enough

Seems like the "tawdry details" are pushing this story to the top of the queue (see Salon for example).

[oberliner]

7. Why is it interesting to you? nt

[JackRiddler]

10. Because AIPAC is a destructive force and its fall would be wonderful?

What are you fishing for? Why is anyone interested in anything? It's a current news story.

[oberliner]

12. Not fishing for anything

Your answer is a fair one.

[Scurrilous]

13. "Soon we may hear Congress singing, "Free at last..."

:thumbsup: