The heft that dare not speak its name
A telling sentence in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency's report (of sources' claims) that the government finally has killed off the moribund espionage case against two AIPAC staffers:
Among these (reasons to abandon the case) was an... order that prosecutors make the case that the defendants harmed the United States and not merely benefited Israel.
It always has been the key defense argument for Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman that the two men, meeting with a high Pentagon official and spy-tainted Israeli diplomatic drones, were helping negotiate a leak. That's done all the time in Washington. Nothing to see here. We can all move on.
Except, of course, in this case, the leak wasn't to journalists, or bloggers, or even corporate interests seeking lists of contract competitors and their bid documents. That last one would be unethical and illegal, probably drawing considerable jail time, but it wouldn't involve espionage, and certainly not treason. No. Treason, betraying the country, would entail turning secret government information over to a foreign power. And that's what was done in this case.
