American Jewish Committee:
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) strongly welcomed the Department of Justice decision to drop the prosecution on espionage charges of two former staff members of the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
“The decision to abandon the AIPAC case is a victory for justice and free speech,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “Significant doubts arose from the beginning about the legitimacy of charging Keith Weissman and Steve Rosen under the 1917 Espionage Act.” Until the charges were brought against the two men, the statute had never been used to prosecute private citizens.
“The Department of Justice has now reaffirmed that the law of the United States protects citizens who engage in the everyday and essential work of political advocacy,” Harris said.
AJC had urged the Department of Justice to reconsider its prosecution on the grounds that to proceed would compromise basic First Amendment rights.
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