Parole commissioner: Pollard waives hearing

WASHINGTON — A member of the U.S. Parole Commission says convicted spy Jonathan Pollard has waived a planned parole hearing.

Commissioner Patricia Smoot says the hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday.

A parole commission administrator, Stephen Husk, says the hearing was to have been held at the federal prison in Butner, N.C., and that Pollard, who is imprisoned there, would have attended. Husk declined further comment.

Waiving the parole hearing comes amid diplomatic discussions between the U.S. and Israel about Pollard’s possible release to further Mideast peace talks. The possibility of parole was the latest legal avenue Pollard had been taking in an effort to win his freedom.

The 59-year-old Pollard repeatedly sought executive clemency from Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, but was denied. He has been imprisoned since 1985.

PETE YOST, Associated Press