WASHINGTON — New York Times reporter Judith Miller, jailed since July 6 for refusing to reveal a confidential source, was freed Thursday after agreeing to testify about her conversations with the source.
Miller is expected to appear today before a federal grand jury investigating whether anyone in the Bush administration leaked the name of a covert CIA officer to reporters.
Her surprise release, negotiated between Times lawyers and a Justice Department special prosecutor, came after Miller received what the newspaper described as "a direct and un-coerced waiver" from her source that released her from any pledge of confidentiality and enabled her to testify.
Although the New York Times did not identify the source, people close to the case said that it was I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff. Miller is expected to testify about conversations she had had with Libby, sources said. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings.
Miller's testimony had been sought as part of a nearly two-year probe into whether the White House played a role in leaking the name of a CIA officer, Valerie Plame, to journalists, and violated a federal law that makes it a crime to identify covert agents.
Plame is married to former envoy Joseph C. Wilson IV, who wrote an op-ed article for the New York Times criticizing the administration's use of intelligence in justifying the war with Iraq. On July 14, 2003, eight days after that article was published, Robert Novak identified Plame by name and occupation in a syndicated column that attacked Wilson.
Among other avenues, the special prosecutor in the case, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, has been investigating whether White House officials, including Libby and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, were fully forthcoming with investigators about their knowledge of Plame and how her name became public.
Miller's agreement to cooperate suggests that Fitzgerald may be in a position to wrap up his investigation into the politically charged case. Depending on his findings, it could bring further damaging news to the administration, already rocked over its handling of hurricane relief along the Gulf Coast and the indictment this week of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas).
Neither Libby nor his lawyer, Joseph Tate of Philadelphia, could be reached for comment Thursday night.
