Judith Miller (journalist)

Judith Miller (born 1948 in New York City) is a journalist for the New York Times. A controversial figurehttp://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/media/features/9226/index.html, in July of 2005, Miller was jailed for contempt of court by refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating a leak naming Valerie Plame as a covert CIA agent. Miller did not write about Plame, but is reportedly in possession of evidence relevant to the leak investigation. According to a subpoena, Miller met with an unnamed government official — later revealed to be "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff — on July 8 2003, two days after former ambassador Joseph Wilson published an Op-Ed in the Times criticizing the Bush administration for "twisting" intelligence to justify war in Iraq. (Plame's CIA identity was revealed by political commentator Robert Novak on July 14 2003.)

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1948 - New York City - Journalist - New York Times - Contempt of court - Grand jury - Valerie Plame - CIA - "Scooter" Libby - Cheney - July 8 - 2003 - Joseph Wilson - Op-Ed - Bush - Robert Novak - July 14

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On July 16, 2005, The Washington Post reported that Miller could face criminal contempt charges, potentially extending her jail time well beyond the four months currently anticipated. The maximum sentence for criminal contempt is life imprisonment.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/15/AR2005071502080.html The Post also suggested that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was particularly interested in hearing Miller's version of her encounter with Libby. While Libby signed a waiver allowing journalists to testify about their conversations on this subject, Miller had reportedly refused to accept its validity on the grounds that it was "coerced."

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Filings by Patrick Fitzgerald refer to Miller's defiance of the court as a "crime."http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/04ms407-G.pdf Some have speculated that Judith Miller may have already known about Valerie Plame before speaking with Libby on July 8 2003 — and thus instead of protecting Libby she was protecting herself or others.

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July 8 - 2003

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On September 29 2005, after spending 86 days in jail, Miller was released after a telephone call with Lewis Libby. He had reaffirmed a release of confidentiality that he had given her a year earlier that she had already known about. She testified at Fitzgerald's Plame Case hearings the following day, September 30th. BBC News Report.

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September 29 - 2005 - Lewis Libby

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