Lawyers Challenge Rice, Hadley Subpoenas

[Tom Joad]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070830/D8RBID2G0.html

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other senior intelligence officials should not be forced to testify about whether they discussed classified information with pro-Israel lobbyists, federal prosecutors argued in a closed-door court hearing Friday.

Two former American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbyists facing espionage charges have subpoenaed Rice, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams and several others to testify at their trial next year.

If their testimony is allowed by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, the trial could offer a behind-the-scenes look at the way U.S. foreign policy is crafted.

(snip)

"In other words, they'll tell us that back-channel disclosures are an everyday common practice?" Ellis asked in a hearing last year during a rare public discussion of the issue.

That argument is a key to the defense.
More at above link...

The January trial looks like it will be very interesting. Seems like their "defense" is actually a very disturbing indictment of how US foreign policy is made. But should we be surprised? Do politicians make any decisions only on their merits, rather than political pressure?

Also of note: The book “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” by John Mearsheimer and S. Walt is at your local bookstore. www.israellobbybook.com

Confront aipac and all lobbies for war.
www.StopAIPAC.org

[scarletwoman]

1. Thank you for posting this! k & r (nt)

[Richard Steele]

2. K&R

[creeksneakers2]

3. Kicked

This is big news. It could blow the lid off how US policy has been selected.

[datadiva]

4. Happy to recommend. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Wow

Sounds intriguing!!

[EFerrari]

6. K&R

Eliot Abrams, still dirty after all these years.

[Tom Joad]

7. Yeah, Abrams was big in the Iran-Contra scandal too.

http://www.slate.com/id/2113690/