Judith Miller has agreed to testify in the Valerie Plame leak probe, after being released from her pledge of confidentiality by her source, reportedly Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, “Scooter” Libby.
Miller Agrees to Testify in CIA Leak Probe (AP)
After nearly three months behind bars, New York Times reporter Judith Miller was released Thursday after agreeing to testify in the investigation into the disclosure of the identity of a covert CIA officer. Miller left the federal detention center in Alexandria, Va., after reaching an agreement with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. She will appear before a grand jury investigating the case Friday morning.
“My source has now voluntarily and personally released me from my promise of confidentiality regarding our conversations,” Miller said in a statement. The Times, which supported her contention that her source should be protected, reported late Thursday that her source was Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.
“As we have throughout this ordeal, we continue to support Judy Miller in the decision she has made,” said Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. “We are very pleased that she has finally received a direct and uncoerced waiver, both by phone and in writing, releasing her from any claim of confidentiality and enabling her to testify.”
If the source is indeed Libby–or, for that matter, even if it isn’t– allowing Miller to spend three months in prison before releasing her from her pledge is pretty low.
For background, see OTB’s Valerie Plame Affair category archives.
