Federal prosecutors considered treating The New York Times as a conspirator in the criminal case against former F. B. I.
Director James B. Comey over a 2016 article about a surveillance technique. The revelation came during a closed-door hearing on Oct. 9, raising First Amendment concerns and marking a potential escalation in the Trump administration’s attacks on the press.
Prosecutor Dustin Farahnak told Judge Trevor N. McFadden that the Justice Department weighed charging The Times as a co-conspirator with Comey in publishing the article, which fell within the 10-year statute of limitations. Comey was charged on Oct. 5 with unauthorized disclosure of national security information.
His lawyers argue the charges are time-barred. Prosecutors filed via an information without grand jury approval to meet the deadline. The move to consider The Times as a conspirator aimed to link the Oct. 2016 article with later coverage, potentially extending the statute of limitations.
A 1946 Supreme Court ruling complicates conspiracy charges in hub-and-spoke scenarios. The Justice Department did not comment. For now, only Comey is charged, but prosecutors suggested others could still face indictment.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing