Attorneys for former AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) employees Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman are asking to subpoena US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and several other high ranking administration officials to testify in their trial that is scheduled to begin next month.
In a series of motions presented to the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, Rosen and Weissman's attorneys name also National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, his deputy Elliot Abrams, former assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns, his former deputy and now Deputy Chief of Mission in Iraq David Satterfield, former US envoy to the Middle East General Anthony Zinni, former member of the National Security Committee Kenneth Pollack and Larry Franklin, a former Pentagon analyst who has already pleaded guilty to leaking classified information to the two AIPAC staffers.
The court has put the requests for subpoenas under seal and did not disclose publicly the names of the witnesses sought by the defense, but an Associated Press report over the weekend gave the names of those mentioned in the requests.
Rosen and Weissman are charged with receiving classified information from Franklin and passing it on to Israeli diplomats and members of the press.
It is now up to the court to decide whether to permit the defense to subpoenas current and former administration official and there is no indication yet how the judge will react to the requests. Sources close to the case have said in the past that it was expected the prosecution would oppose any attempt to bring administration officials to the courtroom.
Though the requests for subpoenas are under seal, it is assumed that the reason for wanting Rice and other officials to testify is to strengthen the defense's argument that the actions of Rosen and Weissman were common practice in the relationship between administration officials and lobbyists in Washington.
Two of the officials named in the requests - Satterfield and Pollack - are mentioned in the indictment against Rosen and Weissman as government officials who provided information to the two former AIPAC employees.
