Wednesday, February 6, 2008

N.Y. Times reporter gets subpoena on book

A New York Times reporter has been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in Virginia about a book he wrote on the CIA.

James Risen's lawyer, David Kelley, said that the subpoena involves one chapter in "State of War" on the U.S. intelligence agency's efforts to get information on the Iraqi nuclear program, the Times said Friday.

"We intend to fight this subpoena, so we'll likely be engaging in some sort of litigation," Kelley said. "Jim has adhered to the highest traditions of journalism. He is the highest caliber of reporter that you can find, and he will keep his commitment to the confidentiality of his sources."

Risen and Eric Lichtblau won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for articles in 2006 on warrantless wiretapping. The book took off from that series.

The book was published by the Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster. Martha Levin, the executive vice president and publisher, called the use of confidential sources "one of the bedrock principles of a free and open society."

Risen was ordered to testify Feb. 7 before a grand jury in Alexandria, Va.

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