Statements by Sulzberger, Keller, Miller on Her Release - E & P

Statements by Sulzberger, Keller, Miller on Her Release

By E&P Staff

Published: September 29, 2005 9:30 PM ET

NEW YORK The New York Times' publisher, editor, and formerly jailed reporter all issued statements Thursday night after her release, with Judith Miller's grand jury testimony now set for Friday, they confirmed separately.

According to the Times, I. Lewis Libby "had made clear that he genuinely wanted her to testify," and gave her a waiver on their confidential conversations. But the Times account tonight revealed that Libby and his lawyers said he had given his waiver a year ago--and then again two weeks ago--but Miller did not accept it. She was released today after she and her lawyers met at the jail with Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the prosecutor in the case, to discuss her testimony, the Times revealed.

Here is the complete text of the three statements tonight.

snip


--Judith Miller:

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I am leaving jail today because my source has now voluntarily and personally released me from my promise of confidentiality regarding our conversations relating to the Wilson-Plame matter. My attorneys have also reached agreement with the Office of Special Counsel regarding the nature and scope of my testimony, which satisfies my obligation as a reporter to keep faith with my sources.

snip



--Bill Keller, executive editor:

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Judy refused to testify in this case because she gave her professional word that she would keep her interview with her source confidential. At the outset, she had only a generic waiver of this obligation, and she believed she had ample reason to doubt it had been freely given. In recent days, several important things have changed that convinced Judy that she was released from her obligation.


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http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001219289

From Judy:
"My attorneys have also reached agreement with the Office of Special Counsel regarding the nature and scope of my testimony"

If Scooter had already released her from her "obligation" to protect her source, then it was only the deal with Fitzgerald that needed to be worked out. Was Judy perhaps protecting herself more than protecting the identity of her source?

Sid

I gotta believe she's culpable and she knows it.

Hmmm.

I think Fitz told her he was going to go after her for criminal contempt, but that is just my guess.

edit to add - does the scope only cover Libby? Can he question her about Bolton?

leaking of names!! what a dupos!


My attorneys have also reached agreement with the Office of Special Counsel regarding the nature and scope of my testimony, which satisfies my obligation as a reporter to keep faith with my sources.

but I think that the real reason is that jail is pretty effective at compulsion. Resistance is rare. You would have to either be completely dedicated to protecting someone or absolutely certain that it would do you no good, like Susan McDougal.

"Fitzgerald has made it clear for more than a year that Miller was the main obstacle to completing the case, and that he was prepared to exert pressure on her to testify. People involved in the case said they began to hear earlier this week that Miller was looking for a way out of jail.

In recent weeks, people close to Miller said her attorneys grew anxious that Fitzgerald would extend her time behind bars. Fitzgerald has the authority to extend the grand jury investigating possible leaks for another 18 months, and he could ask the judge to hold Miller in jail for another six months, lawyers familiar with the case said.

Miller's role had been one of the great mysteries in the leak probe. It is unclear why she emerged as a central figure in the probe despite never having written a story about the case."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/29/AR2005092901974_2.html

Whatever she was trying to gain, I doubt it's worth that much jail time.

she'll tell everything about libby, while protecting someone else.