The Discerning Texan
All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.
-- Edmund Burke
-- Edmund Burke
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Attorney General to Leaking Reporters: YOU too can do jail time for leaking
Sweetness and Light and I are on the same page when it comes to Attorney General Albert Gonzalez's statement today that reporters are fair game for any National Security leak investigation--it's about time:
From the Voice Of America:
U.S. Attorney Alberto General Gonzales receives a demonstration of techniques used at the FBI Innocent Images Unit in Beltsville, Maryland, May 17, 2006. The federal government appears to have the authority to prosecute journalists or newspapers for publishing classified information, Gonzales said on Sunday.
US Attorney General Says Journalists Could be Prosecuted for Publishing Classified Information
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says the federal government could prosecute journalists for publishing classified information.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week television program, the nation’s top law enforcement officer said investigators are deciding on what he called "the appropriate course of action" regarding the New York Times newspaper’s report about the government’s warrant-less electronic surveillance program.
The Justice Department is investigating who leaked classified information about the program to reporters.
Gonzales said the government could obtain a court order to track reporters’ telephone calls as part of a criminal leak investigation, but said such practices are not routine.
This week, ABC News said a federal official warned reporters that the phone numbers they dial are being tracked to identify their confidential sources.
Gonzales said there has been a misunderstanding about these activities.
The attorney general also said the the right of a free press in the United States does not trump the right of the federal government to prosecute criminal activity.
So let it be written.
So let it be done.
From the Voice Of America:
U.S. Attorney Alberto General Gonzales receives a demonstration of techniques used at the FBI Innocent Images Unit in Beltsville, Maryland, May 17, 2006. The federal government appears to have the authority to prosecute journalists or newspapers for publishing classified information, Gonzales said on Sunday.
US Attorney General Says Journalists Could be Prosecuted for Publishing Classified Information
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says the federal government could prosecute journalists for publishing classified information.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week television program, the nation’s top law enforcement officer said investigators are deciding on what he called "the appropriate course of action" regarding the New York Times newspaper’s report about the government’s warrant-less electronic surveillance program.
The Justice Department is investigating who leaked classified information about the program to reporters.
Gonzales said the government could obtain a court order to track reporters’ telephone calls as part of a criminal leak investigation, but said such practices are not routine.
This week, ABC News said a federal official warned reporters that the phone numbers they dial are being tracked to identify their confidential sources.
Gonzales said there has been a misunderstanding about these activities.
The attorney general also said the the right of a free press in the United States does not trump the right of the federal government to prosecute criminal activity.
So let it be written.
So let it be done.
