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Gonzales: We May Prosecute Journalists

Posted on May 22, 2006

Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales says that the Bush White House may go after journalists who report on national security-related matters. “There are some statutes on the book which, if you read the language carefully, would seem to indicate that that is a possibility.”

Funny: There are lots of FISA statutes that you don’t have to read particularly carefully to learn that spying on Americans without warrants is illegal.

N.Y. Times:

The government has the legal authority to prosecute journalists for publishing classified information, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said yesterday.

“There are some statutes on the book which, if you read the language carefully, would seem to indicate that that is a possibility,” Mr. Gonzales said on the ABC News program “This Week.”

“That’s a policy judgment by the Congress in passing that kind of legislation,” he continued. “We have an obligation to enforce those laws. We have an obligation to ensure that our national security is protected.”

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By William Day, May 23, 2006 at 2:57 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Its good to hear that our illustrious attorney general reads the law. Now one can only hope that while he is looking through the laws he comes up on the one in FISA. But, given his past history, he FIRST has to give his interpretation of what the law says, rather than exactly how it is written. I guess even lap dogs can even become the nation’s top law enforcer and we have to remember he gets his marching orders from the Decider.

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By ejay, May 23, 2006 at 11:00 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Check more than the FISA statutes.

Gonzalez may not have a leg to stand on when it comes to prosecuting some journalists. It depends on the secret revealed in print.

Under current federal law, it’s illegal to classify something as secret merely because it is controversial.

Government officials have been abusing the law on that one for years. They just hide behind a top secret classification just to keep the government from looking bad.

Ask the question: How many journalists may face prosecution because they reported on secrets that were merely controversial. Who makes the determination about something improperly classified?

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