The case involves reporters Judith Miller of The New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine, who may have witnessed a federal crime. The two were working on the story about Robert Novak, the right-wing columnist, who had just publicly revealed the name of a CIA agent, the wife of Joe Wilson who is a vocal critic of Bush's War on Terror. The disclosure by government officials of the identity of a CIA officer is a crime and the reporters have refused to name their sources.
Cooper, of Time magazine, merely wrote an article reporting on Novak's outing of the CIA agent. Even worse, Miller was just working on the story and never published anything. Yet both are facing jail time while Novak is walking about free.
Say that again! How come Novak is out on the streets when there's no question that he's the one who actually revealed the name of the CIA agent? Novak refuses to say whether or not he's even talked to the Federal grand jury, but one explanation is that he's already revealed his sources.
In any case, we'll never know because the Bush administration has drawn the cloak of national security around the case. As reporter Judith Miller noted, she will go to jail, "for a story I didn't write, for reasons a court won't explain."
Meanwhile Bob Novak, who published the CIA officer's name, will remain free to continue to shill for the right-wing.
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
-Pastor Martin Niemöller, 1945
New York Times - Jailing of Reporters in C.I.A. Leak Case Is Upheld by Judges
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