NYT Reporter Won’t Have to Reveal Source

The U.S. Department of Justice has decided against forcing New York Times reporter James Risen to reveal the identity of a confidential source. Risen used the source for a book that revealed the CIA’s attempts to sabotage Iran’s nuclear-weapons program. The U.S. had previously tried to make Risen testify in the trial of a former CIA official, Jeffrey Sterling, who is accused of leaking classified information. Attorney General Eric Holder, however, now says that Risen must not be required to reveal “information about the identity of his source.” If he ends up being called to trial, Risen will only be asked to “confirm that he had an agreement with a confidential source, and that he did write the book.”