Former Secretary of State George Schultz has written to President Barack Obama asking him to release Jonathan Pollard, who has spent 25 years in prison after being convicted of spying for Israel.
The letter delivered last week says that Pollard has “now paid a huge price for his espionage on behalf of Israel and should be released from prison.”
In the letter, Schultz also said that he is impressed that people who are “best informed” about the classified material that Pollard passed to Israel favor his release.
Schultz, 90, served as secretary of state for seven years under President Ronald Reagan. He served in the same government as Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, whose opinion was used by the court to sentence Pollard to life in prison.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent Obama a letter Jan. 4 requesting clemency for Pollard, Israel’s first formal request for Pollard’s release. — jta