When was the last treason trial?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

The "American Al Queada" guy we just captured was indicted for treason a while back and will presumably face a trial for treason.

It's a rare offense. When was the last one?

[Libertas1776]

1. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg?

or maybe they were the last ones executed for that charge? I'm sure we've had a couple of "treason" trials since then.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. No, they were executed for espionage

It's tricky to have a treason charge without a formal declaration of war which may be why they didn't charge the Rosenbergs that way. Or perhaps they didn't have two eye-witnesses (as specified in the Constitution)

But I will bet there was a treason trial somewhere around that time. There were some GIs who "went over" during the Korean War and we were not yet sophisticated about cutting people slack for acts committed under torture.

But Korea wasn't a declared war either. Nor is the war on terror, for that matter.

Hmmmm.

But I figure the DU historic brain-trust will know.

[baldguy]

2. The Clinton impeachment.

Of course, the advocates of treason where the ones running the show then.

[Ozymanithrax]

5. Clinton was never charged with treason, and he never went to trial...

He was impeached, but the Senate did not uphold the impeachment and remove him form office.

He was never tried for treason.

[baldguy]

9. "...the advocates of treason where the ones running the show then."

[dems_rightnow]

10. Of course there was a trial

(Obviously not for treason.) He was impeached by the House, then there was a trial before the Senate. In that trial, he was acquitted.

[Ozymanithrax]

16. The impeachment trial in the Senate would, at worst, only remove him from office.

Clinton was never charged or tried as a citizen of any of the things. Very specifically, he was never charged with treason.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

12. I think baldguy was being ironic

[Robb]

4. 1952

I am no expert, but there's this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomoya_Kawakita

[happyslug]

6. He was AFTER Tokyo Rose

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Rose

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iva_Toguri_D%27Aquino

Please note NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN EXECUTED FOR TREASON AGAINST THE UNITED STATES. Mary Surratt, while convicted of Treason was hanged for conspiracy to Murder Lincoln.. John Brown was hanged for Treason against the State of Virginia.

Mary Surratt:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Surratt

John Brown:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_%28abolitionist%29

List of People convicted of Treason:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_convicted_of_treason

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

7. Cool. So it does come from the last declared war.

I don't know if I could vote to convict the American Al Queada guy of treason because there's no declaration of war and I'm a stickler.

They would do much better to just charge him with conspiracy to commit mass murder.

I would have little trouble with that charge.

[Ozymanithrax]

8. If they try him, it will be interesting to see how they get a conviciton...

Section 3.
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.

I wonder if he will confess on the stand, or if there are two co-conspirators that will testify against him?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

11. I was thinking the same, but there are millions of witnesses to the overt act

Since he will be tried for the content of his tapes we all saw him committing the acts.

(A technological wrinkle the founding fathers wouldn't have anticipated.)

[hlthe2b]

13. Moot: guy caught wasn't Gadahn afterall

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/07/world/main6275953.shtml

but another Al Qaida figure who looked somewhat like him.

[dems_rightnow]

14. Well, let's stone him anyway.

He's close enough.

[hlthe2b]

15. Why? Did he kill his trainer?

(seaworld)

:sarcasm:

[HopeHoops]

17. Oliver North - convicted

I know, technically he wasn't charged with treason - but that's what he committed. Wasn't it convenient that they managed to get his conviction overturned on a technicality at the height of the Gulf War so it would get lost in the news. Now, of course, like any good anti-American asshole, he's a commentator on FOX.

[ThomWV]

18. I believe to be Treason you have to abet an enemy, which would require an Act of War

Because we have no official enemies unless Congress declares we do by way of an Act of War. Then once you have official enemies if someone aids them, then that is Treason, but if you have no war you can't have treason.