Spy Swap Forced Prosecutors Into Balancing Act

This article from the New York Times discusses the ethics behind the “Russian Spy” incident that exploded over the summer. What should’ve been a criminal case became “a deal orchestrated by politicians”, where American and Russian governments agreed to end the criminal prosecution of the 10 accused Russian spies and engage in a spy exchange instead. The article examines the ethical dilemma the prosecutors were faced with in deciding whether dropping the case and acquiescing to a trade was the right thing to do. Many others involved in the case question whether the lawyers (both defense and prosecution) weren’t merely pawns  and the trial was merely a political maneuver operating outside the justice system.  In the end, Mr. Bharara, the US Federal Prosecutor in charge of the case, said that after studying historical precedent of spy trades, he concluded that the deal being brokered by the politicians was acceptable and that in the modern world justice has to be consistent with national security.

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