Monday, 26 January 2015, ALEXANDRIA, VA - Former C.I.A. officer Jeffrey Sterling today was convicted in federal court of espionage for providing information to New York Times reporter James Risen about a C.I.A. operation to leak intentionally flawed nuclear schematic information to Iran via a Russian scientist. The New York Times in the below article on the conviction today calls it part of the Obama administration's "unprecedented crackdown on officials who speak to journalists about security matters without the Administration's approval". The Ninth Amendment without further comment other than that in the next paragraph provides below a link to the article.
The Ninth Amendment editorial board does observe that given the serious implications as to freedom of speech and the press under the First Amendment not to mention the specter prosecution "whistleblowers" including as to government waste and abuse raised by this case it appears that the standard that the New York Times sets out in the above quote is likely not a precise recitation of its scope as a standard encompassing all "security" matters without limitation as to type or timeframe seems susceptible to a very broad interpretation.
The Ninth Amendment in an 18 January 2015 post below did provide a link to an article by a reporter attending Mr. Sterling's trial which described the C.I.A. "Operation Merlin" in considerably less charitable terms characterizing it as an unlikely, mismanaged, uncoordinated plot which not only wasted large amounts of resources but because of a lack of coordination of scientists preparing and reviewing what were supposed to be flawed nuclear plans also inadvertently have have provided Iran with nuclear schematics that indeed were helpful in the development of Iran's nuclear program.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/27/us/politics/cia-officer-in-leak-case-jeffrey-sterling-is-convicted-of-espionage.html?module=Notification&version=BreakingNews®ion=FixedTop&action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=29174522&pgtype=Blogs
UPDATE: The following Reuters article further includes Attorney Geberal Etic Holder's comments on the case, some information on Holder DOJ's subpeoena history with AP and the press, as well as provides Jeffrey Sterling's sentencing date of 24 April 2015.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/27/newyorktimes-leak-idUSL1N0V51W820150127
Copyright 2015 Martin P. All World Rights Expressly Reserved
The Ninth Amendment editorial board does observe that given the serious implications as to freedom of speech and the press under the First Amendment not to mention the specter prosecution "whistleblowers" including as to government waste and abuse raised by this case it appears that the standard that the New York Times sets out in the above quote is likely not a precise recitation of its scope as a standard encompassing all "security" matters without limitation as to type or timeframe seems susceptible to a very broad interpretation.
The Ninth Amendment in an 18 January 2015 post below did provide a link to an article by a reporter attending Mr. Sterling's trial which described the C.I.A. "Operation Merlin" in considerably less charitable terms characterizing it as an unlikely, mismanaged, uncoordinated plot which not only wasted large amounts of resources but because of a lack of coordination of scientists preparing and reviewing what were supposed to be flawed nuclear plans also inadvertently have have provided Iran with nuclear schematics that indeed were helpful in the development of Iran's nuclear program.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/27/us/politics/cia-officer-in-leak-case-jeffrey-sterling-is-convicted-of-espionage.html?module=Notification&version=BreakingNews®ion=FixedTop&action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=29174522&pgtype=Blogs
UPDATE: The following Reuters article further includes Attorney Geberal Etic Holder's comments on the case, some information on Holder DOJ's subpeoena history with AP and the press, as well as provides Jeffrey Sterling's sentencing date of 24 April 2015.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/27/newyorktimes-leak-idUSL1N0V51W820150127
Copyright 2015 Martin P. All World Rights Expressly Reserved
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