Tel-Chai Nation

The first Republican Congressman to ask this is Michael Grimm:

Congressman Michael Grimm from New York has become the first Republican in the House of Representatives to express support for Jonathan Pollard and call upon President Obama to grant him clemency.

Grimm, a first-term legislator representing Staten Island, joins a growing list of American politicians and other public figures calling for Pollard’s release.

In a YouTube video posted this week, Grimm relates that he visited Pollard in prison about two weeks ago, and that “26 years of his life are gone, and he won’t get them back.”

“As a former FBI agent,” Grimm continues, “and someone who has fought for justice most of my life, we have to acknowledge that the penalty does not necessarily meet the crime; most would say that it was excessive.” He said that many public figures "close to the investigation" have gone on record that Pollard has served his time and should be released. “I am working with many people in Washington to have justice prevail [and] to have him released. There is no question that what he did was wrong, but he has paid his debt to the United States…, and at this point, we are looking to the president to do the right thing and grant him the opportunity to resume his life and return to Israel.”

There's a list of more people who've joined the call for Pollard's release at the link. Among them, surprisingly enough, is Henry Kissinger. I assume he wants to try and make amends years after the damage he caused?

Unfortunately, the list does not include Donald Rumsfeld, who's taking a negative stance on the whole issue. Well in all due honesty, I can't say I've ever thought much of him.

Labels: anti-semitism, Israel, political corruption, United States, US Congress