Jonathan Pollard, left, arriving at a federal courthouse in New York with his wife, Esther, hours after his release from prison, Nov. 20, 2015. (Ilana Gold/WCBS-TV via AP Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. intelligence community favors continued restrictions on Jonathan Pollard, arguing that the one-time spy for Israel could still damage U.S. interests by revealing methods and identifying characteristics of U.S. assets.
Intelligence community “sources and methods must be protected from disclosure in every situation where a certain intelligence interest, capability, or technique, if disclosed, would allow our adversaries to take countermeasures to nullify effectiveness,” said the June 17 filing by Jennifer Hudson, the director of information management for the office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The filing, first reported Tuesday by the Daily Beast, was in response to a petition by Pollard’s lawyers to a Manhattan federal court to ease some of Pollard’s parole restrictions. His lawyers have argued that Pollard, a former analyst for the U.S. Navy who was released on parole from his life sentence last November, was jailed 30 years ago and would no longer possess relevant intelligence. The filing was unclassified, though the federal judge in the case had ruled that the U.S. government could file a classified statement, or ex-parte court submission.
Hudson said Pollard also had access to human intelligence that could still prove harmful should it be disclosed.
“Even though the human resources are not identified by name, both descriptive details about the sources and the very nature of the information provided by the source could tend to reveal the identity since only a limited number of individuals may have had access to that particular information,” she said.
Her filing suggested that assets in place 30 years ago could still face repercussions.
“Revelation of the source’s secret relationship with the U.S. government could cause significant harm to the source, his or her family and his or her associates,” she wrote. “Even in cases where the source is no longer alive, such disclosure can place in jeopardy the lives of individuals with whom the source has had contact.”
Pollard’s lawyers to respond to a request for comment.
The restrictive conditions for Pollard’s five-year parole include wearing an electronic ankle bracelet with GPS tracking and surveillance of his and any employer’s computers. He also is confined to his New York home between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. — a condition, Pollard’s attorneys argue, that has precluded him from holding a job.
Pollard also is not permitted to join his wife, Esther, who he married while he was in prison, in Israel. He is restricted in his computer and internet use.
