Today IRmep Director Grant F. Smith confronted US Attorney Ron Machen on NPR affiliate WAMU in Washington, DC.  At issue were Machen’s statements that the FBI had prevented Stewart J. Nozette from passing US military secrets to Israel.

by Grant F. Smith

“Justice Dept Bungled Israeli Spy Case”

On May 4, 2012 IRmep Director Grant F. Smith confronts US Attorney Ronald Machen about false statements made after Stewart Nozette attempted to sell $200 million-$1 billion in secrets to Israel Aerospace Industries, an organization with a history of espionage against the US.

Machen’s statement was demonstrably false.  Unfortunately, Machen publicly dodges the real question in favor of quibbling about putting espionage damage assessments into dollar figures.  The US Department of Justice shows no sign of getting tough on Israeli espionage, which costs the US billions of dollars.  (See the IRmep book “Spy Trade” for elaboration).

Nozette was recently sentence to 13 years in prison for attempted espionage for Mossad. IAI walked free.

Stewart David Nozette convicted for espionage against the United States

Key court filings at the Israel Lobby Archive

Grant F. Smith is the author of Spy Trade: How Israel’s Lobby Undermines America’s Economy, America’s Defense Line: The Justice Department’s Battle to Register the Israel Lobby as Agents of a Foreign Government and Foreign Agents: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee from the 1963 Fulbright Hearings to the 2005 Espionage Scandal. He is a frequent contributor to Radio France Internationale and Voice of America’s Foro Interamericano. Smith has also appeared on BBC News, CNN, and C-SPAN. He is currently director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.

His website: Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy – IRmep

Editing: Debbie Menon

Also see:

• Grant F. Smith : The Rise of AIPAC – AIPAC History