The Valerie Plame thing-what about Novak?

[EstimatedProphet]

Maybe someone who knows more about legalities can explain this to me.
So, 2 senior officials come to Novak and give him Plame's name as a secret operative-this is illegal under the US law as treason. Novak then goes and nationally publishes this information in his column (which is after all where all the damage comes from).
Why isn't Novak up on charges for treason?
He surely knows the sensitivity of the information.
His story is what directly caused the global security breach, after all, not the original leak. Had he backed away from the information like the other journalists, then there would have been no damage done to operating policies of the US. Yet, here he is every day on CNN, spouting off, and I've never heard anything about Novak receiving any kind of punishment. I also don't see how or why this should fall under freedom of the press, because freedom of the press doesn't include treason. The press doesn't have the right to, say, print the locations and strengths of our military units around the world in concrete terms. That information is considered classified. The press never sees it, but would be held accountable if they did get it and publish. Remember also the flap about atomic secrets coming out in the Progressive; even though they were out-of-date, they took a lot of heat from the government.
So, why isn't Novak accountable for what happened also?

[girl gone mad]

1. Freedom of the press? n/t

[madrchsod]

2. Mr Novak will be

called in by the federal prosecuter Fitzgerald. never fear, Novak will be in jail if he refuses to testify to the grand jury...
edit-spell check,rrrrrr

[EstimatedProphet]

3. OK

That's what I was wondering. I've never heard anything about any kind of questioning for Novak at all. It's not been getting much airtime.

[punpirate]

4. Under the law, the leaker...

... is the responsible party, not the person to whom the information was leaked. That will continue to be Novak's defense in any future legal action. Novak also has some protection under the law with regard to freedom of the press rules (though, ethically, they should not apply in this case, since Novak was a willing participant in an unwarranted smear).

Yes, they could throw Novak in jail for failure to comply, but, in this administration, I think that's about as likely as flying pigs dive-bombing the Justice Department.

[IADEMO2004]

5. If he was an American first and Republican second

wouldn't he quit his job and name names?

[EstimatedProphet]

6. If he were an American first

he never would have printed the information.

[IADEMO2004]

7. Right

others fed the same information didn't publish but still protect the two sources