The Hindu : International : Reporter charged with contempt

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Wednesday, Aug 11, 2004

International

International

Reporter charged with contempt

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, AUG. 10. A U.S. Federal judge has held a Time magazine reporter in contempt of court for refusing to testify in the case relating to the leak of a CIA covert officer's name. The order, which has been stayed pending appeal, was issued on July 20 but not made public till Monday.

The Distirct Judge, Thomas Hogan, has ruled that Matthew Cooper and NBC's "Meet The Press" host, Tim Russert, were required to testify about a conversation they had had with a specific official in the executive branch.

NBC News has said that Mr. Russert has already been interviewed under oath in an agreement that he would answer only "limited questions" of a conversation he had with the Vice-President's Chief of Staff, Lewis `Scooter' Libby, without revealing any confidential information.

Magazine to appeal

The Time magazine and its reporter did not agree to be interviewed and have made it known that they would pursue the matter legally.

Attempts to force reporters to testify about sources are being seen as violating the rights under the First Amendment. But the Federal judge does not see it that way. The grand jury investigation deals with the leaking last summer of the identity of the CIA operative, Valerie Plame, whose name appeared in a syndicated column a week after her husband, Joseph Wilson, criticised President Bush for claiming in the State of the Union Address of 2003 that Iraq had tried to get uranium from Niger. The CIA had earlier sent Mr. Wilson to check this out and he said that the allegation was unfounded.

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