NY Times Judith Miller to Testify Today

Judith Miller, the New York Times reporter jailed for refusing to reveal information sought by a Washington Grand Jury regarding the public revelation of Valerie Plame as a CIA covert agent , was freed from prison late Thursday, and she will testify before the Grand Jury today.

Miller agreed to testify, saying that her source, Scooter Libby, chief of staff to vice president Cheney, had given his consent. Previous witnesses to the Grand Jury mentioned Libby as a source for stories outing Valerie Plame, possibly in retaliation for Plame’s husband, Joseph Wilson, going public with the result of his investigation that showed the Bush administration’s claim that Saddam Hussein had received material from Niger to use to make atomic bombs was false. In fact, the documents are acknowledged to be forgeries.

Apart from Libby’s role, and that of Karl Rove, there are questions about Judith Miller’s role. Miller wrote many stories supporting the Bush administration case for invading Iraq, though the assertions made in them turned out to be false.

There is still considerable confusion about the circumstances of Miller's decision to testify, since Libby maintained that he gave this consent a year ago, but negotiations with Miller’s lawyers concluded recently, ending with a phone call between Miller and Libby. Officially this was to confirm his release of confidentiality, but Miller's past as a Bushcorps courier suggests the possibility that everyone is getting their stories coordinated to protect those inside the White House as well as their enablers.

No one yet knows what the result of this investigation will yield, nor its complete scope. The Grand Jury is scheduled to dissolve in October.

The New York Times story on Miller’s release and upcoming testimony is here.

This is yet another story involving key Republicans suspected of serious crimes. In the past few days, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was forced by House rules to resign when an indictment against him for political money laundering was issued in Texas. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is under investigation for major stock fraud. Speaker of the House Hassert is facing serious allegations of corruption. Other ongoing corruption investigations are said to involve many members of the Bush administration and Republican leadership.