Posted on 05/04/2005 9:27:30 AM PDT by Grampa Dave
Pentagon analyst charged with disclosing secrets
13 minutes ago
A Defense Department analyst was arrested on Wednesday on charges of disclosing classified information about potential attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq to two individuals with a pro-Israel lobbying group.
Lawrence Franklin, 58, surrendered to the FBI and faces charges of disclosing classified U.S. national defense information to the individuals that sources said were with the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The Justice Department, in announcing the case, said that Franklin faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Franklin, a Defense Department employee since 1979, worked on the Iran desk within the office of the secretary of defense at the time the government says he disclosed the information.
The criminal complaint and an accompanying FBI affidavit, filed in federal court in Virginia, said that Franklin on June 26, 2003, had lunch at a restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, with the two individuals.
At the lunch, Franklin disclosed classified information, designated top secret, related to potential attacks upon U.S. forces in Iraq. Neither of the two individuals had the security clearance to receive that information, the department said.
The two individuals were not identified by name in the court documents.
Franklin told the two individuals that the information was "highly classified" and asked them not to "use" it, according to the court documents.
The complaint also said that Franklin disclosed, without authorization, classified U.S. government information to a foreign official and to members of the news media on other occasions.
In addition, according to the FBI affidavit, approximately 83 separate classified U.S. government documents were found during a search of Franklin's West Virginia home in June 2004. The dates of these documents spanned three decades.
fyi
Wow, they caught and charged him pretty damn fast.
Wall, blindfold, squad attention, ready, aim . . . . . .
Israeli intelligence, or just some guys that he eats dinner with whom he was trying to impress.
actually he disclosed the info to people with a pro-Israel lobby, I think AIPAC
It seems you can't trust anybody of Middle Eastern descent.
Yahoo puts a time stamp on their news re when it was posted or updated. I picked it up 13 minutes after it was posted as news.
"Can't we all just get along or is it alone with each other?"
There is no room for dual loyalties when one is responsible for guarding secrets.
BTTT
There are quite a few folks here on FR who believe everyone is of Middle Eastern descent.
If you have any data on that, please post here. Thanks.
Good point. Now they're ALMOST as fast as CTU on 24.
Send his butt to jail for MORE than 10 years. Along with all Islamofacist spies and traitors.
Spy?
Absolutely. This is getting OLD.
Let him share a cell with Pollard till the end of time.
Sandy Berger...please use the white courtesy phone...Sandy Berger...white courtesy phone.
It says further on that "The complaint also said that Franklin disclosed, without authorization, classified U.S. government information to a foreign official and to members of the news media on other occasions." Doesn't say anything about who the foreign officials are/ were.
Just wandering wants prompts the "It seems you can't trust anybody of Middle Eastern descent." when no middle easterners are mentioned.
Lawrence Franklin, 58, surrendered to the FBI and faces charges of disclosing classified U.S. national defense information to the individuals that sources said were with the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.