Jeffrey A. Sterling, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, was convicted of espionage charges Monday, for telling a journalist for The New York Times about a secret operation to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program.
The conviction is a significant victory for the Obama administration, which has led an unprecedented crackdown on officials who speak to journalists about security matters without the administration’s approval. Prosecutors prevailed after a yearslong fight in which the journalist, James Risen, refused to identify his sources.
The case revolved around a C.I.A. operation in which a former Russian scientist provided Iran with intentionally flawed nuclear component schematics. Mr. Risen revealed the operation in his 2006 book “State of War,” describing it as a mismanaged, potentially reckless mission that may have inadvertently aided the Iranian nuclear program.
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Mr. Risen’s lengthy fight to avoid testifying about his sources turned the case into a rallying point for news organizations who said the Justice Department had made it harder to cover national security beyond what it released in news statements and sanctioned leaks, such as those that told a glowing story about the mission to kill Osama bin Laden. Less favorable stories, such as those revealing warrantless wiretapping or secret prisons, led to criminal investigations.
The Supreme Court ultimately declined to hear Mr. Risen’s case, meaning he would have been forced to testify, and if he refused, he could have been put in jail. But Mr. Holder, in a reversal, said prosecutors would not force him to reveal his sources. With that option off the table, prosecutors opted not to call Mr. Risen to testify during the trial.
