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| Obama Pardons James Cartwright, General Who Lied to F.B.I. in Leak Case | Obama Pardons James Cartwright, General Who Lied to F.B.I. in Leak Case |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday pardoned James E. Cartwright, a retired Marine Corps general and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about his discussions with reporters about Iran’s nuclear program, saving him from a possible prison sentence. | WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday pardoned James E. Cartwright, a retired Marine Corps general and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about his discussions with reporters about Iran’s nuclear program, saving him from a possible prison sentence. |
| General Cartwright, who was a key member of Mr. Obama’s national security team in his first term and earned a reputation as the president’s favorite general, pleaded guilty late last year to misleading investigators looking into the leaking of classified information about cyberattacks against Iran. | General Cartwright, who was a key member of Mr. Obama’s national security team in his first term and earned a reputation as the president’s favorite general, pleaded guilty late last year to misleading investigators looking into the leaking of classified information about cyberattacks against Iran. |
| He was due to be sentenced this month. His defense team had asked for a year of probation and 600 hours of community service, but prosecutors had asked the judge overseeing his case to send him to prison for two years. | He was due to be sentenced this month. His defense team had asked for a year of probation and 600 hours of community service, but prosecutors had asked the judge overseeing his case to send him to prison for two years. |
| Now, the retired general will be spared such punishment. | Now, the retired general will be spared such punishment. |
| Both General Cartwright and his lawyer, Gregory Craig, a former White House counsel to Mr. Obama, thanked the president in statements. “The president’s decision is wise and just, and it achieves the right result,” Mr. Craig said. “It allows General Cartwright to continue his life’s work — to serve, protect and defend the nation he loves. It allows the nation to continue to benefit from his vast experience and knowledge.” | Both General Cartwright and his lawyer, Gregory Craig, a former White House counsel to Mr. Obama, thanked the president in statements. “The president’s decision is wise and just, and it achieves the right result,” Mr. Craig said. “It allows General Cartwright to continue his life’s work — to serve, protect and defend the nation he loves. It allows the nation to continue to benefit from his vast experience and knowledge.” |
| General Cartwright left government in 2011. The leak investigation that ensnared him began in June 2012, when David E. Sanger, a reporter for The New York Times, published a book, “Confront and Conceal,” and an article in The Times that described Operation Olympic Games, an American-Israeli covert effort to sabotage Iranian nuclear centrifuges with a computer virus. F.B.I. agents came to believe that General Cartwright had also been a source for a February 2012 Newsweek article that discussed cyberattacks against Iran. | General Cartwright left government in 2011. The leak investigation that ensnared him began in June 2012, when David E. Sanger, a reporter for The New York Times, published a book, “Confront and Conceal,” and an article in The Times that described Operation Olympic Games, an American-Israeli covert effort to sabotage Iranian nuclear centrifuges with a computer virus. F.B.I. agents came to believe that General Cartwright had also been a source for a February 2012 Newsweek article that discussed cyberattacks against Iran. |
| But when F.B.I. agents interviewed the retired general about the book and articles, he initially lied about his discussions with the journalists, according to a government sentencing memo. | But when F.B.I. agents interviewed the retired general about the book and articles, he initially lied about his discussions with the journalists, according to a government sentencing memo. |
| The memo said the agents showed the general emails that contradicted his account, and he passed out and was hospitalized. Several days later, when the interview resumed, he changed his account of the discussions. | |
| General Cartwright’s defense team has argued that he spoke with the reporters in order to shape stories they had already reported and to try to prevent publication of more damaging information. Prosecutors had cast doubt on that theory, arguing that he did not articulate this approach when they interviewed him. | General Cartwright’s defense team has argued that he spoke with the reporters in order to shape stories they had already reported and to try to prevent publication of more damaging information. Prosecutors had cast doubt on that theory, arguing that he did not articulate this approach when they interviewed him. |
| But in a background briefing with reporters, a senior White House official said Mr. Obama had made his decision in part because of General Cartwright’s description of his motive, as well as because of a letter by Mr. Sanger saying that he had already learned about the program before speaking to the general and that the conversation with the general informed his thinking about which information to withhold. | But in a background briefing with reporters, a senior White House official said Mr. Obama had made his decision in part because of General Cartwright’s description of his motive, as well as because of a letter by Mr. Sanger saying that he had already learned about the program before speaking to the general and that the conversation with the general informed his thinking about which information to withhold. |
| In a statement, Mr. Sanger said he was “happy to see that President Obama has taken this step,” reiterating that he had had “many sources, from around the world” and that General Cartwright had “showed concern that information damaging to U.S. interests not be made public.” | |
| Mr. Sanger added: “The Times has frequently said that stories like this one are critical to helping Americans understand how decisions on vital national security matters are made. Leak investigations have the effect of making people less willing to talk, and the result is often a loss for our democracy.” | |
| In November, General Cartwright agreed to a plea deal to bring an end to the four-year investigation in which he pleaded guilty to misleading the F.B.I., but not to the unauthorized disclosure of information. At his plea hearing, he said that it was “wrong” to have misled the F.B.I. and that he accepted full responsibility. | |
| “I knew I was not the source of the story, and I didn’t want to be blamed for the leak,” he said then. “My only goal in talking to the reporters was to protect American interests and lives; I love my country and continue to this day to do everything I can to defend it.” | “I knew I was not the source of the story, and I didn’t want to be blamed for the leak,” he said then. “My only goal in talking to the reporters was to protect American interests and lives; I love my country and continue to this day to do everything I can to defend it.” |