The Associated Press is reporting the release on parole of Jonathan Pollard, Thirty years to the day after his conviction.
A few questions: Why was "parole" even available, given the severity of the offences?
Exactly which "New York investment firm" has given him a job in its finance department? Surely such an action signals to the country that every employee of the firm has unquestionable allegiance to Israel? There are prudential controls in most countries that prevent a convicted felon like Pollard from having anything to do with the management of other peoples money.
Does this event imply that on the basis of equity, other convicted spies should expect release after Thirty years?
How long before Pollard breaks his parole and is spirited to Israel?
What did we get in return, Mordechai Vanunu?
Allen,
Yes, the parole law that is in effect when the final court order in a criminal case is made is supposed to govern that person's parole. Since a parole board is an "administrative law" group, it is very difficult, if not almost impossible, to overturn its decisions. If the Obama administration wanted to oppose Pollard's release based on the options in the parole law, and loaded up its objections well, the board probably would not have released him.
I agree with the idea that if a "deal" was to be made about Pollard it should have included the release and transfer of Vanunu as a refugee to the U.S., and I think I mentioned that a while back. Vanunu could do some educational good in this country.
Anyone in the Obama administration who thinks that not objecting to Pollard's release will result in concessions from the Israeli government on Iran or anything else really is dumber than a fence post.
Although Pollard will be financially taken care of in the U.S., I am in favor of not letting him leave the country and that he should be monitored as closely as the parole rules provide. That will create at least a little inconvenience for him and his handlers.
The question remains as to who were the dirty moles in the U.S. government higher up who assisted the process Pollard was involved in.
Posted by: robt willmann | 21 November 2015 at 11:37 AM
Colonel, TTG,
Pollard could prove useful bait.
Posted by: J | 21 November 2015 at 12:48 PM
Has the investment banking firm been identified?
Posted by: bth | 21 November 2015 at 12:49 PM
"...while the second there are people who don't seem to comprehend the simple English of the first commandment in their devotion to all things Israel."
Well said.
Posted by: Thomas | 21 November 2015 at 01:00 PM
Yeah -- there any number of scenarios that would reflect well upon the interests of the American people, once the hiring institution is identified and acquired as a target of interest. Give it some thought.
Posted by: PirateLaddie | 21 November 2015 at 03:36 PM
Exactly.
Posted by: MRW | 21 November 2015 at 05:31 PM
This is exactly what happened. Laws were changed after Pollard.
Ship him back to Israel.
In a pine box.
Posted by: MRW | 21 November 2015 at 05:33 PM
Both points are excellent. Let me toss in a link to a summation by Seymour Hersh of Pollard's crimes, first appearing in the New Yorker in 1999.
https://cryptome.org/jya/traitor.htm
What Swartz went through trying to give the public access to academic journals was simply outrageous. Hard copy academic publishing is a dying mastodon at the point of collapse, and first it crushed him. Terribly sad.
Posted by: hemeantwell | 21 November 2015 at 06:14 PM
I was reading about him and decided to check wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollard
My surprise to see all those "good patriots" inside the beltway and on the Hill who, over the years, asked, wrote, phoned for his release.
Really !!! that many who don't want to see how bad his actions were. Mind boggling .
Posted by: The Beaver | 21 November 2015 at 09:12 PM
I was commenting on the fact that parole was available, and did not mean to suggest it was mandatory. As summarized in military.com:
Under federal sentencing rules in place at the time, he became eligible for parole in November, the 30th anniversary of his arrest. A three-member panel of the U.S. Parole Commission unanimously voted to grant him parole, effective Nov. 21, according to a statement from his attorneys, and the Justice Department did not raise objections to his release.
18 USC s 4206 was repealed in 1987 as part of the change we are discussing. 28 CFR s 2.53 remains to govern parole for prisoners still eligible because their offense predated the change.
Posted by: Niccolo | 22 November 2015 at 09:46 AM
All
The traitor Pollard should have rotted in jail forever ...
Posted by: alba etie | 22 November 2015 at 03:28 PM
Allen Thomson,
If they are afraid the ankle cuff would aggravate the circulation-difficulties imposed by severe diabetes, they should be able to design a circulation-friendly ankle-cuff. Perhaps make the "bracelet-band" part of the cuff several times wider so the wrap-around force is dispersed to be several times weaker . . . hence nowhere strong enough to impede circulation. Easily fixed, if that "really IS" the problem.
Posted by: differenc clue | 22 November 2015 at 04:56 PM
Nothing, prominently displayed, about the release on the ADL website. Someone IS gauging the mood right
Posted by: glupi | 28 November 2015 at 10:59 PM