[VelociMorte]

September 29, 2004 — The Justice Department has charged that a veteran New York Times foreign correspondent warned an alleged terror-funding Islamic charity that the FBI was about to raid its office — potentially endangering the lives of federal agents.

The stunning accusation was disclosed yesterday in legal papers related to a lawsuit the Times filed in Manhattan federal court.

The suit seeks to block subpoenas from the Justice Department for phone records of two of its Middle Eastern reporters — Philip Shenon and Judith Miller — as part of a probe to track down the leak.

The Times last night flatly denied the allegation.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago charged in court papers that Shenon blew the cover on the Dec. 14, 2001, raid of the Global Relief Foundation — the first charges of their kind under broad new investigatory powers given to the feds under the Patriot Act.

“It has been conclusively established that Global Relief Foundation learned of the search from reporter Philip Shenon of The New York Times,” Fitzgerald said in an Aug. 7, 2002, letter to the Times’ legal department.



Judith Miller...the same one involved in the Plame case? Yep.


Let's see now..., NYT reporters divulge classified information. NYT reporters charged with crimes related to the Patriot Act. Justice subpoenas phone records of two Times reporters. NYT files suit blocking subpoenas, but denies involvement. Time passes......Patriot Act goes to Congress. NYT divulges classified information and releases story on phone taps it held for over a year on same day Patriot Act goes to Congress. Patriot Act not approved.

Sounds to me like we should be monitoring anyone and everyone who has contact with the NYT. Being a reporter does NOT grant one immunity from National Security laws. It's about time we had a good ol' fashioned public execution by firing squad.