A federal judge’s assertion that receiving classified information without authorization was a felony is “almost certainly a misunderstanding and a misrepresentation of the law,” writes Steven Aftergood of Secrecy News. The judge made the statement in a memorandum concerning an order limiting the scope of testimony of New York Times reporter James Risen in the Jeffrey Sterling espionage trial.
Aftergood says one of the laws the judge cited to support her contention does not prohibit unauthorized receipt and the other law applies only to foreign agents or Communists. -db
From a commentary in the Secrecy News, August 4, 2011 by Steven Aftergood.