Judge rejects government plan for secret evidence at trial of two former pro-Israel lobbyists

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A federal judge on Monday rejected prosecutors' request to close portions of an upcoming trial for two former pro-Israel lobbyists accused of violating the Espionage Act.

The government's proposal to keep huge swaths of evidence in the case out of public view was unprecedented and violated both the defendants' and the public's right to an open trial, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis said.

The defendants--Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, who had been lobbyists with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee--are charged with illegally disclosing sensitive national defense information to persons not entitled to receive it, including journalists and foreign diplomats.

Under the prosecutors' plan, only the judge, lawyers and the jury would have been given access to classified evidence. Ellis said the proposal not only raised constitutional questions, but would have been unwieldy and likely confuse jurors.


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