The Pollard Case News Today

He was handing over he asked israelis to buy that nice diamond and saphire ring. to propose to his wife. and yes he ended up going to prison too. >> reporter: prosecutors say pollard gave away more secrets than any other spy in american history. >> this case represents ape serious and i underscore serious, grave breach of national security secrets of this country. >> in a three-hour court hearing, pollard said what he had done was wrong he expected to be punished but asked for mercy for his wife...

And yes he ended up going to prison too. >> reporter: prosecutors say pollard gave away more secrets than any other spy in american history. >> this case represents ape serious and i underscore serious, grave breach of national security secrets of this country. >> in a three-hour court hearing, pollard said what he had done was wrong he expected to be punished but asked for mercy for his wife ann henderson pollard saying he sacrificed her on an altar of political ideology selling secrets to isra...

Recently as 2011, benjamin netanyahu was telling the obama administration they had to let jonathan pollard out he served 25 years. as recently as 2011, vice president joe biden quoted saying at the time that would happen over my dead body. but now jonathan pollard is being let out. how come? what is the u.s. getting for it if at all? how did this happen? joining us now managing editor of msnbc digital. covered the pollard case for years since a correspondent for the ap in jerusalem. great to hav...

One of the legendary things in each of the calls he found a way to bring the conversation around to the topping of -- cactuses. he told his wife, go see our friends and give them our cactus. note to self. if you ever need a code word, pick something you may reasonably talk about on the phone and not cactus. more like a safe word, less like a code word if you know what i mean. in this guys case, he had worked out this code word, with his wife in advance. the word cactus, may or may not have been ...

Palestinians closer to achieving peace with security. >> reporter: suddenly 8:00 a.m., netanyahu takes clinton aside. u.s. officials say for the first time he says he wont sign the deal unless the president first releases israeli spy jonathan pollard. convicted of stealing u.s. military secrets for israel. aide say the president is shocked. he has twice denied clemency for pollard. for six hours they argue. finally clinton says he will review the pollard case. the summit deal is back on. >> that...

So he asked several times to be excused to go make those calls to his wife. one of the legendary things in each of the calls he found a way to bring the conversation around to the topping of -- cactuses. he told his wife, go see our friends and give them our cactus. note to self. if you ever need a code word, pick something you may reasonably talk about on the phone and not cactus. more like a safe word, less like a code word if you know what i mean. in this guys case, he had worked out this cod...

Of course it didnt happen. >> thats part of my question. so last year theyre talking, theyre still, once again, talking about jonathan pollard got to get him out, using this as part of a bigger negotiation. last year he want up for parole. the parole board said no. this year today the parole board said yes. the obama administration is saying that it is like an inevitable thing about the course of the wheels of justice he would have gotten out today. this is no, politics here. not part of any dea...

Could be released. the appeals for clemency, pardon, parole. it has been this incredibly high stakes negotiating flash point for 30 years until today. today they said they will let hem out. recently as 2011, benjamin netanyahu was telling the obama administration they had to let jonathan pollard out he served 25 years. as recently as 2011, vice president joe biden quoted saying at the time that would happen over my dead body. but now jonathan pollard is being let out. how come? what is the u.s. ...