The New York Times has indicated that it’s prepared to fight Judge Tanya Chutkan in court if the Times’ journalists are asked to testify in the investigations by the Project Veritas organization about the sources used to produce the Times’s reporting. That issue was aired in court last week.
In court on Monday, Judge Chutkan indicated she will not push back against an issue raised by Deputy Assistant Attorney General W. D. B. Collins that the Times reporters could be compelled to testify. However, Judge Chutkan said she would not consider the issue until further hearings are held.
After the court session, Andrew Rosenthal, Executive Editor of The New York Times said in a statement:
“We believe in our ability to defend ourselves against unproven claims made in court; in case we are asked to do so, we will respond in court just as we did when Vice News submitted a similar claim in the grand jury investigation into Valerie Plame. Our lawyers will also look into possible legal remedies to protect our journalistic sources.”