Netanyahu seeks pardon for imprisoned spy Pollard

Netanyahu seeks pardon for imprisoned spy Pollard

www.washingtontimes.com

The White House is reviewing a new pardon request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the case of former Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Jay Pollard, who is serving a life sentence for spying for Israel.

The request came in a letter to President Obama from Mr. Netanyahu, who read it aloud during a session of the Israeli parliament on Tuesday, noting that the case "unites us all."

"We have received the letter and will review it," White House spokesman Thomas Vietor said, declin

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www.cnn.com

I can't believe Netanyahu would have the audacity to issue a public plea for this traitors release. In case, you are unaware Pollard was arrested for spying for Israel while he worked for US Navy intelligence, he made a plea bargain for a charge of espionage and sentenced to life in prison. This is not the first time Netanyahu has asked the sitting president for a pardon for Pollard. During his first term he petitioned Clinton, however at the time the CIA greatly opposed such actions, to the point then CIA Director George Tenet said he would resign in protest if Pollard was released.

Now, Netanyahu is trying to use the release of this traitor as a bargaining chip to assist in Israeli/Palestinian negotiations. What a joke.

I am happy that P.M. Netanyahu says he is remorseful (I don't believe it, but it's still nice to hear), however why not let the US everything Pollard handed over to them. No, he doesn't want to do that.

Also, on an irritating side note, the opening paragraph in the cnn link Netanyahu promised to never spy on the US in the way that Pollard did. Note, he did not promise to not spy on the US, or not to use some other equally disgusting behavior. He isn't even specific. Does he mean he will not recruit Americans to spy for Israel? or he won't use intelligence officers? or maybe he just means he won't allow them to get caught again?

Anyway, the traitor deserves to die in jail and he should be happy that he wasn't sentenced to death for being the traitor that he is.

www.washingtontimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

www.cnn.com...

While I understand that presidential pardons are granted on his whim, I will have lost complete respect for Obama if he grants this pardon.

While looking through various sites as to the specifics of Pollard, his crime, etc I saw that he was granted Israeli citizenship in 1995, 10 years after his conviction. I'm sorry, but how exactly does an inmate petition a foreign government for citizenship while incarcerated? While I understand it, I oppose the whole duel citizenship thing, especially in cases where the person agrees to a lesser charge of espionage and is serving a life sentence. I also find it interesting that initially, he attempted to flee and gain asylum in Israel and the embassy refused his and his wifes entrance, again only to grant him citizenship 10 yrs later. Also, if he is so remorseful why has he yet to admit to full extent what he stole, why won't he come completely clean? Because he's not sorry and needs to right in his little cell in NC.

So, I found this ridiculous article written by Pamela Geller, remember the woman who was instrumental is stirring up the ground zero mosque controversy. Well, she didn't disappoint on the Pollard issue, more misinformation and lies, however she did at least make herself marginally useful. She has requested her followers call the White House every day, as many times as one is able, at 202 456 1414 or 202 456 1111.

Now, I figure if there people organizing to bombard the WH with useless phone calls begging for a traitors release, perhaps they should also hear from people who are aware that he is a traitor and he should be happy he wasn't put to death for his crimes.

Here is a link to Rep Anthony Weiner's website, he has composed a letter to Obama undersigned by other congressional supporters of espionage, in which he asks for Obama to pardon Pollard.

I think perhaps I'll be firing off a bunch of letter's asking them how they can support the release of a traitor.

The hidden hand in the free-Pollard campaign

Jeff Stein @ WaPo....

I got a call on my way out the door on Christmas Eve. It was David Nyer, announcing the latest development in his effort to gain clemency for Jonathan Pollard, the Israeli spy serving a life sentence at a federal prison. He had been calling or writing me almost every day for weeks about new groups signing on to his campaign.

By day a 25-year-old social worker in a New York health clinic, Nyer has quietly bagged some big names since he went into high gear to free Pollard last summer.

But he scored big time Tuesday when Binyamin Netanyahu finally went public with an appeal to the White House for Pollard’s release, a campaign that Israel's prime ministers had hitherto pressed through intermediaries or in private.

Nyer played a large, and largely unacknowledged, role in moving Netanyahu to speak out.

voices.washingtonpost.com...

reply to post by Cablespider



Thanks for that!!!!!! I've never heard of David Nyer so a quick google search brought me this little right write up of who he is and how he has gained support.

Insiders associated with the push, which resulted in a congressional letter to President Obama asking for clemency for the American Jew convicted in 1987 of spying for Israel, say the main factor was one man: David Nyer, an Orthodox activist from Monsey, N.Y. Nyer, working under the auspices of the National Council of Young Israel and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, repeatedly called dozens of congressional offices and pressed Jewish groups asking for a leader to take on the case of Pollard, the former U.S. Navy analyst who has spent 25 years in prison as part of a life sentence -- the longest sentence for spying for an ally.

Now, over and over I keep reading that Pollard has served far longer than anyone who committed a similar crime. There have three cases of Israeli's being caught spying on the US, Pollard is one. It is important to note that only Pollard has been charged with espionage, so technically there aren't any similar legal cases, which I find suspicious but that's a topic for later. The other two are Lawrence Franklin and Ben ami Kadish. Franklin ended up being charged with unauthorized disclosure of classified information not espionage. Now, that sounds a little shady to me especially since he was passing US policy info on Iran to AIPAC while he worked for the state department in 2002-2003, however that is how it ultimately played out.

Kadish was accused around the same time as Pollard and admitted to disclosing classified documents to Israel. However, do to his age and health, he only faced a $50,000 fine (he was 84 in 2008 when charges were finally brought).

So, technically there aren't any similar cases to Pollards. Even the recent Russian spy case is completely different, none of those individuals were able to get ahold of classified documents, nor where they American citizens working for the government.

edit to add: I think the closest case we have to Pollard's is the current wikileak with Manning, and we can all see how that's being handled.