FBI Probes Jewish Leaders for Lobbyist Ties

The FBI has questioned several prominent Jewish leaders about alleged efforts to offer financial aid to two former pro-Israel lobbyists charged with passing classified information to reporters and an Israeli diplomat.

Attorneys for former lobbyists Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman - who worked for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) - revealed the FBI questioning in a legal motion recently released by the federal judge overseeing the case.

In their written response to the motion, prosecutors did not reveal why FBI agents were probing the sources of funding for the pair’s defense.

According to the attorneys’ legal filing, the FBI questioned three former executive directors of AIPAC, plus Morton Klein, the national president of the Zionist Organization of America, and philanthropist Newton Becker.

The agents inquired about claims that wealthy individuals suggested to Klein that they would provide financial support if he hired Rosen, Klein said that he spurned the suggestion immediately, saying: "I’m not going to hire someone who’s about to be indicted.” they confirmed that they were grilled by FBI agents about how Rosen and Weissman were supporting themselves since they were fired by AIPAC in March 2005.