At Least a Dozen News Orgs to be Subpoenaed by Hatfill Lawyer

By: Joe Strupp At least a dozen news organizations are being targeted with subpoenas by the attorney representing former U.S. Army researcher Steven Hatfill, who is suing the federal government under the Privacy Act for trying to link him to the 2001 anthrax attacks, the attorney told E&P today.

Tom Connolly, Hatfill's lawyer in his lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and other government officials, had subpoenas served last week on The Associated Press, National Public Radio, The Washington Post, ABC News, and CBS' "60 Minutes." He would not say who else will receive a subpoena, but expected at least 12 to 15 to be served in total.

Officials at The New York Times and Los Angeles Times said they had yet to received any subpoenas as of this morning. Rumors, however, have been swirling since last week in Washington bureaus that subpoenas are coming.

U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton, who is overseeing the Hatfill case, issued an unusual directive in October. Although he has barred Hatfill's attorney from questioning Justice Department officials in the case, he has permitted Hatfill to interview journalists and even obtained permission from some federal officials to release reporters from any anonymous-source agreements.

Hatfill, who gained attention after being identified by federal investigators as a "person of interest" in the anthrax case, eventually lost his job as a government contractor despite never being charged. Several weeks ago, a libel lawsuit Hatfill had filed against The New York Times and columnist Nicholas Kristof was dismissed by a federal judge.

The Hatfill subpoenas come at a time when numerous reporters have been targeted for sourcing information in a number of cases, including the investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA Agent Valerie Plame, the Wen Ho Lee civil lawsuit against the U.S. Justice Department, and the BALCO steroid case, in which five reporters for two California newspapers are being asked to reveal sources who provided testimony from a secret grand jury.