While we've always had a certain number of federal prosecutors going after journalists, we're seeing a different type of phenomenon — the federal employee who's been wronged. If you can somehow compel the journalists to be agents of discovery, it's going to have a chilling effect. This is very troubling.

The government appears to be going very aggressively after these types of leak cases, ... and when reporters are involved, I'm just gritting my teeth.

You can also argue that the media did a lot to rehabilitate his reputation in recent years. A lot of people feel sorry for him.

I think this has an absolute chilling effect.

I'd be very loath to be critical of what Judith did.

Journalists who cover national security and defense receive classified information all the time. It's virtually routine. If that were the standard for bringing an espionage case, we'd be locking up a lot of people in this town and there would be fewer sources of information.

It's really ridiculous.

It's really ridiculous. I'm just waiting for the first search of a newsroom to come down and for someone to say, 'You can't report we just searched you.

I know a journalist when I see one.