Mysterious 8 Blank Pages in Leak Ruling

The New York Times reports on eight blank pages in the public version of a decision the federal appeals court in Washington issued in February. The decision ordered two reporters to be jailed unless they agreed to testify before a grand jury investigating the disclosure of the identity of a C.I.A. operative, Valerie Wilson. What is in those pages is one of the "enduring mysteries" in the investigation.

Mr. Abrams, who represented Ms. Miller and Mr. Cooper before the appeals court, said "the revelation that Mr. Fitzgerald advised the court as early as the spring and fall of 2004 that his focus on Mr. Libby related not to potential threats to national security but to possible violations of perjury and related laws raises anew the question of whether the need for the testimony of Judy Miller and Matt Cooper was at all as critical as had been suggested."

The question may rise anew, but his quote seems to illustrate that the shift towards obstruction of justice occurred in the spring of 2004, meaning the administration was throwing sand into the eyes of the umpire from the very beginning.