Media groups concerned by Justice Dept. investigation of CIA leak; prepared to oppose subpoenas

Associated Press ^ | 09-30-03

[Brian S]

Media organizations prepared Tuesday to oppose any efforts by the Justice Department to subpoena journalists and their notes to learn who leaked the identity of an undercover CIA agent to columnist Robert Novak.

Subpoenas could be challenged on the basis of First Amendment guarantees of freedom of the press, said Bill Felber, editor of The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury and freedom of information chairman for the Associated Press Managing Editors. But they could also be challenged, he said, if they were too broad or if the information could be obtained in other ways.

[Dog]

You mean there was a troll lurking around and we didn't get to play with him.

You're no fun.....:-)

[Chad Fairbanks]

Will do!

[Mo1]

RAY MCGOVERN

I've seen his name before .. why is it ringing a bell??

[Grampa Dave]

He was probably a choir boy leader or a Boy Scout leaders or wanted to be.

[Mo1]

Subpoenas all around, I say! Let's here who the evil leaker was! HA!

LOL .. Also explains why I was waiting for the President to say Bring It On when he was saying that he was open to a full investigation and get to the bottom of this leak

[dogbyte12]

Ray McGovern is an ex CIA agent of 27 years, turned leftist. He was an intelligence briefer for the White House I believe. This from a quick google.

[Grampa Dave]

Even as a token conservative, Novak would be sacrificed by his liberal mediot breathren in a heart beat.

I'm sure that he has learned a lot about his liberal friends in the past few days.

[Grampa Dave]

It started to blow up in their faces yesterday. That was why NBC pulled away from this mess.

[randog]

Translation: We want to be free to tear down the Bush Administration, without being questioned about silly little things like proof and stuff. SPeculation rumour, and anonymous sources are much more efficient...

Bingo.

[Mo1]

Ray McGovern is an ex CIA agent of 27 years, turned leftist.

Maybe it's the leftist part that is ringing a bell because I don't remember reading anything about

HOLD ON .. a CIA AGENT??

OK .. Guess I'll add this to my google searches .. Thanks

[McGavin999]

Seems to me this is a National Security issue and that's going to make a difference in the "protect your sources" game.

[dogbyte12]

Gillespie may be the stupidest RNC chair in history.

He told Chrissie Matthews tonight on Hardball that if this story is true, it is a bigger scandal than Watergate. I hope he knows something and isn't talking out of his ass.

[arasina]

You are so right! Great points made.

Why isn't Novak getting any flak? He's the one who put it in print, darn it.

[Mo1]

I didn't get a chance to see it because of the kids .. I'll catch the second airing of it

Thanks for the info

[Constitutional_Republican]

You can say that again.

[El Gato]

This notion that "freedom of the press" confirms some special status on so called journalists, is a bunch of extra-Constituional huey. Freedom of the press means freed to print what you know or think, not to know ever freaking thing under the sun. If providing such information to anyone is a crime, it's a crime to provide it to a journalist. If someone has knowlege of a crime, they should come forth with that knowledge. If they choose not to so voluntarily, then they are subject to supoena, whether they be journalist or janitor. The whole notion of journalists as a protected class comes from the DemocRats favorite period, the Pentagon Papers and Watergate era.

[cwb]

OT/ACLU

The Kansas Attorney General tonite (O'Reilly factor) said that the ACLU filed a brief in one of their cases (pg. 17) that argues for the consential sex of adults with children over 13 years of age. This group is a nightmare.

[Dog]

What no call from Mom?>

:-)

[af_vet_1981]

"Leak investigations themselves invariably fail," Abrams said. "Sources rarely come forward to acknowledge that they provided information and journalists never do."

Put the journalists under oath. Make them testify before a grand jury or go to jail for contempt.