When The FBI Investigated The Israel Lobby For Treason

Declassified FBI files show a years-long investigation into AIPAC and the Israeli Embassy during the 1984 U.S.–Israel Free Trade Area negotiations. According to the documents, a confidential International Trade Commission (ITC) report identifying sensitive U.S. industries was obtained, copied, and circulated on Capitol Hill—compromising the U.S. bargaining position. DOJ initially said no espionage statute applied (no national-defense info), but flagged potential theft of government property; the case was closed, then later reopened as new directives came down. Interviews with AIPAC staff and an Israeli diplomat followed, but diplomatic immunity and prosecutorial decisions ultimately ended the probe. Years later, an ISCAP order forced partial declassification of the trade report. In this video, I walk through the FBI timeline, what was alleged, why prosecutions stalled, how immunity and classification shaped outcomes, and what this means for FARA, lobbying transparency, and the U.S.–Israel trade relationship.