National Security

The Pentagon Press Association is awaiting a response to a letter submitted to the Pentagon outlining journalists' concerns over the U.S. Department of Defense's new policy for countering national security leaks.

The organization submitted a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, seeking clarification on the statement the Pentagon released last week instilling new procedures for handling leaks, including officials being more vigilant monitoring the media.

A federal judge ruled Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI may keep classified a report to Congress about foreign intelligence gathering under the PATRIOT Act.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has denied a request to order the U.S. government to publicly release photographs and video under the federal Freedom of Information Act of the U.S. military raid that killed Osama bin Laden last May.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg accepted the CIA’s assertion that release of any photos and video of the body of Osama bin Laden – former leader al-Qaeda – would pose a major threat to national security, and that he would not overturn the agency’s decision to classify the records.

Federal prosecutors appealed on Wednesday a federal district court judge's decision to limit the scope of a New York Times reporter's testimony in the trial of a former CIA officer accused of leaking classified information.

The prosecution's appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. (4th Cir.), further delays the trial of Jeffrey Sterling, which was scheduled to start Monday.

In an attempt to avoid going to trial over the release of Osama bin Laden's death photos and videos, the Department of Justice filed court documents this week arguing that the materials fit under exemptions listed in the Freedom of Information Act and that they should not be made public.

Among other things, the Department of Justice, on behalf of the CIA and the Department of Defense, believe the materials present a risk to national security.

A federal judge on Thursday confirmed his decision to allow unclassified, “sensitive” information to be withheld from the leak trial of Thomas Drake, a former high-ranking National Security Agency official.

Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged a former high-ranking National Security Agency official with lying and obstruction of justice relating to an investigation into leaks made to an unidentified newspaper, The Associated Press reported.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week blocked the further release of any pictures depicting abuse of foreign detainees in American custody, the Associated Press reported.

The Obama administration today released a letter that supports revised legislation pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee that broadly defines the definition of a journalist in a proposed federal shield law.

An amendment to the bipartisan Senate bill that would create a federal shield law for journalists will likely exclude many bloggers and internet journalists, according to the text of the amendment introduced by Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York.