New York City – Today, at the Annual Agudath Israel Legislative Breakfast in New York City, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D – Queens and Brooklyn) was praised by Jewish leaders for being the first Member of Congress to speak out in defense of Sholom Rubashkin, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
In August, Rubashkin’s attorneys filed for a new trial after it was revealed that Judge Linda Reade may have had improper contact with federal prosecutors prior to presiding over his case.
Last month, Weiner sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder calling on him to investigate the “credible allegations of improprieties and unfairness” related to Rubashkin’s trial.
Rep. Weiner, who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, raised questions about the trial when no other government official was.
“Congressman Weiner was the first elected official to agree to try and persuade the Justice Department to correct the injustice of this case,” said Gedaliah Weinberger, Chairman of the Board of Agudath Israel. “We have learned that when we need something done for the community in Congress, Anthony Weiner is our first and last stop.”
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(Anthony Weiner Press Release)
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7 Responses
lets be clear on this, 27 years is the injustice. Judge Reades failure to voluntarily remove herself is an injustice, but not a violation of the law. However, Reade’s errors do not clear Rubashkin of the crimes he committed. Even if we do the math 12 ways to Shabbos, there is still five million dollars missing. maybe if we all returned the tzedaka we got from Rubashkin over the years, which by the way made Rubashkin a community icon, maybe then the bank would find its five million dollars.
Y.E., re post #1, Rubashkin was unable to make good on his loans, because his business was destroyed and devalued by none other than Judge Reade and company. He was unable to sell the business because no Rubashkin relatives would be allowed to be involved in the business, and they were the ones who knew best how to run it, so the business was sold for pennies on the dollar. This was NOT his fault. His hands were tied at that point.
we will be interested to see how the congressman follows up on his call AFTER the election…and how long has the Rubashkin issue been in the public eye?
as someone who represents us it sure took long time for him to say anything , yet here we go and praise him.
Weiner and Schumer – one week before the elections and NOW they have public commnents to make. And the Jews fawn all over them.
Re post #1 — as post #2 alludes to — Rubashkin was only unable to make good on his loans as a result of the intentional devaluation of his business by the unreasonable requirements put on the sale. In the tens of years previous to the initial raid on the factory that Rubashkin had been doing business with this particular bank, the bank never lost a penny, and in fact made much more money from him than the loss of this last loan. This does not mean one is allowed to make false loan applications, but the context of this crime is that Rubashkin committed it in desperation to save his business after being driven to bankruptcy as the result of an unprecedented raid on his factory (for crimes which he was later aquitted/ charges dropped!) Had the initial raid been conducted in the way similar cases were for other plants accused of hiring illegal aliens (such as Swift & Co., Action Rags, USA, and Miyako Sushi all in the same period as Rubashkin), and had Rubashkin’s lawyers request to cooperate with the investigation into the illegal worker issue in order to avoid a raid been accepted by Judge Reade, he never would have committed the bank fraud. There is no accusation of any illegal financial dealings prior to the raid (in the years all that tzedakah referred to by Y.E. was given).
May all the tzedakah given by Rubashkin in the many years that the business was doing well be a zchus for him as we continue do daven for his release.
Such a great political issue, Rubashkin. All the other poor abused yiddishe thieves sitting in Otisville etc aren’t on the agenda. Pollard, who cares. And the Jewish askanim fawn over who? Weiner who married a shiksa and is pro-toeivo?