Baseball - Conyers Lends Support To BALCO Reporters

Rep. John D. Conyers, the new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has asked the Department of Justice to stop trying to force the two reporters to reveal who leaked out the BALCO grand jury testimony.

San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams were ordered to be jailed by a federal judge till they comply with the subpoenas which demand detail information on how they received Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and others’ testimonies. For the moment, the reporters are free as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering the case.
In a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, Rep John D. Conyers, District of Michigan, said that the subpoenas that were issued were contrary to the protection given to the press under the First Amendment.
Conyers sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to withdraw the subpoenas. The letter was also signed by Rep Tom Davis, R-Va. The letter stated that the two congressmen were concerned about the subpoenas issued to the reporters and the newspaper to learn the identity of their source. The congressmen requested the Attorney General to withdraw the subpoenas.
As the Chair of the house Government Reform Committee, Rep Tom Davis has held a hearing in March 2005 on steroids. Some of the witnesses were Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Jose Canseco.
The prosecutors have filed an appeal in the San Francisco appeals court to uphold the contempt order against Fainaru-Wada and Williams. Their argument is that reporters do not have special privilege to keep evidence from a grand jury.