Text: Letter of Former WH Legal Counsel Bernard Nussbaum to Pres. Obama: Failure to release Pollard now "a miscarriage of justice"

J4JP Release - February 6, 2011

View the original letter: PDF – Word

In his letter to the President, former White House Counsel to President Clinton, Bernard Nussbaum states that Jonathan Pollard's life sentence should be commuted to time served and Pollard set free. Indeed, says Nussbaum, failure to commute Pollard's sentence now would be a miscarriage of justice. Nussbaum indicates that he has studied the complete file "extensively" and he agrees with former A-G Heymann and a host of senior American officials that Pollard must go free without any further delay. The text of his letter to President Obama follows:

January 28, 2011

The Honorable Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500-0001

Dear Mr. President:

I was Counsel to the President in 1993-94. Along with Deputy Attorney General Philip Heymann, who has written to you regarding Jonathan Pollard, I also extensively reviewed the Pollard file while I served in the White House. I write this letter to state that I fully share the view expressed by Professor Heymann - as well as the other distinguished former public officials who have written to you - that the time has come for Jonathan Pollard's sentence to be commuted.

I will not repeat the cogent reasons set forth in Professor Heymann's letter except to say that I too believe that Jonathan Pollard has been appropriately punished for his conduct and that a failure at this time to commute his sentence would not serve the course of justice; indeed, I respectfully believe, it would be a miscarriage of justice.

Sincerely,
Bernard W. Nussbaum
BWN:bw

See Also: Original Letter by Former WH Legal Counsel Bernard Nussbaum to Pres. Obama (PDF)