Update [2005-9-30 15:32:36 by susanhu]: Robert Bennett was just interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on CNN. Bennett volunteered that Judy’s testimony was “limited to the Valerie Plame matter and not a fishing expedition.”
Blitzer then said that some speculate that Miller is protecting more people than just Scooter Libby, and asked Bennett if Fitzgerald made an agreement to limit Miller’s testimony to Scooter Libby. Bennett would only reiterate that they made an agreement that the questions would be confined to the Valerie Plame matter. He said that he was able to work things out with “the prosecutor that judy could live with … those things came together …”
Even though Bennett refused to name Scooter Libby as the subject of Miller’s testimony, he did refute the charge by Libby’s attorney that he was told before Miller went to jail that Libby released her to testify. Bennett argued that Libby’s attorney did not call him until August 31, after Miller was in jail. Bennett edged towards anger, saying that Libby’s attorney and Libby knew where Judy was and how to reach her.
Update [2005-9-30 13:27:34 by susanhu]: Judith Miiller is speaking before the cameras, having concluded her testimony (?). She says that she received a “personal” letter from her source, followed by a phone conversation. Miller said that the special counsel “assured us that such communication would not be regarded as obstruction of justice.”
Her testimony was “limited to communications with the source from whom I received the voluntary waiver.” (She has not — and refuses to — name the source.)
“The special counsel agreed to this.”
She says that she spent 85 days in jail, and was prepared to spend more, and would not testify “if there was not [BOTH] a personal waiver and the [GUARANTEE OF] narrow testimony.”
She said that she is looking forward to going home, to Sag Harbor, to a special dinner prepared by her husband and to hugging her dog. Questions were brief, and ended quickly.
Judy, Judy, Judy … Scooter didn’t think he was the ONLY ONE for you! He suspected you had other … um … sources, reports the Wall Street Journal:
Mr. Libby also expressed surprise that Ms. Miller had been holding out for his sake. Mr. Libby and his lawyer had assumed that Ms. Miller had been protecting other sources. Mr. Tate, in a brief telephone interview last night, added that Mr. Libby has testified already to the grand jury about his conversation with Ms. Miller. He declined to discuss specifics, but noted that his side hasn’t heard from prosecutors in more than a year. Mr. Tate previously has said that Mr. Libby has not been told that he’s a target of the investigation.
Those other sources might be? I’d do a poll, but it’d need to be multiple choice, don’t you think?
The WSJ also reports:
Mr. Libby’s lawyer, Joseph Tate, said last night that the breakthrough began around Labor Day, when he got a call from Mr. Bennett, who asked first whether Mr. Libby’s waiver — offered more than a year earlier — had been voluntary. Assured that it had been, Mr. Bennett conveyed that news to Ms. Miller, and then called back to say that Ms. Miller wanted to hear it directly from Mr. Libby.
At [Robert] Bennett’s request [Bennett, the brother of Bill Bennett, is Judith Miller’s attorney], Mr. Fitzgerald agreed to provide a letter saying that if Ms. Miller and Mr. Libby talked on the phone, the special prosecutor wouldn’t consider it obstruction of justice. The call — with Ms. Miller, Mr. Libby, Mr. Bennett and Mr. Tate taking part — occurred on Sept. 19. Ms. Miller told Mr. Libby simply that “I wanted you to tell me personally” that his waiver was voluntary. “Why didn’t somebody call us?” Mr. Tate asked.
Mr. Tate, no need to be perplexed. You were right to assume Judy had other sources, and you have to know that Judy is just USING your client and you as excuses to grab a “get out of jail free” card.
My gut tells me that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald doesn’t believe Judy for a moment, and may give her a rougher time on the stand today — with some shillelagh-hard grilling — than she had during 12 weeks in the hoosegow.
Adds Catnip in an e-mail to me, quoting from a Yahoo news story:
Legal sources close to the case said Miller was under growing pressure to testify because Fitzgerald could have sought to impose a stiffer criminal sentence against her.
So Fitzgerald used MORE prison time as leverage. We can put away the hankies being distributed by, sniff, sob-sister New York Times. (Bill Keller, cut the crap. Just how stupid do you think we are?) Patrick, give ‘er the smackin’ you know she’s got comin’!
9:30 am Update: I’ll go further with my speculation:
- Judith Miller lied to her editors (a no-no since reporters are required to tell their editors the true identity of their various sources, and editors depend on truthful reporters to avoid embarrassment down the road)
- Judith Miller is eager to make her next book a best-seller
- The NYT publisher and editors are desperate to make Miller’s a noble cause because their recent scandals have landed them in the gutter. That desperation is leading to clouded judgment, and a lack of self-examination and tough questioning of Ms. Miller (which might save them some future embarrassment)
- Evan Derkacz at Alternet’s PEEK quips, “Because principled stands are dreadfully boring…” — and he has some priceless quotes about Judy’s sudden release
- And, then there’s the 900-lb. gorilla in the room: Judith Miller is — herself — a source. (I suggested that in July 3rd’s “Was Judith Miller a Source?” And many more people have suggested this as well.)
