Reporters to be on the Hot Seat at Libby Trial
The Wall St. Journal (free link) today discloses Lewis Libby's latest defense strategy. Goodbye memory defense (smart move.) Hello trash the reporters.
But legal experts say Mr. Libby's attorneys, like any attorney trying to impugn the testimony of a witness in a criminal trial, will likely try to blunt the prosecution by challenging the reporters on their other sources, their memories of events in question and their own reputations.
While the judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, would be able to limit the grilling of witnesses to what is relevant to the case, criminal-defense attorneys say he will have to allow at least some questions that go to the credibility and professional ability of key witnesses, which in this case are the reporters. That could include performance reviews, corrections on previous stories and internal correspondence related to the reporters or their stories.
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