John Yarmuth: “I thank the chairman. And I also want to thank Mr. Boucher and Mr. Pence for inviting me to become an original cosponsor…”

“I thank the chairman. And I also want to thank Mr. Boucher and Mr. Pence for inviting me to become an original cosponsor of this important piece of legislation. As the only member of the Society of Professional Journalists in Congress and as a former journalist, I fully understand how assurances of anonymity put a frightened insider at ease and turn a reluctant source into an eye-opening wealth of information. At my newspaper in Louisville, we were able to open doors for the community on several occasions due to confidential accounts of protected sources which would have otherwise remained closed to us forever. Also, at Louisville, we saw what happens when we fail to protect a source's identity. There, Jeffrey Wigand, the famous tobacco whistle-blower, was victimized by threats and intimidation, ultimately losing his job, his family and his home. He is considered a hero today, but for many the lesson from that episode was, if you have incriminating information that will benefit the American public, just keep it to yourself. The first amendment to the Constitution demands the right to free press. Now it falls on Congress to help facilitate that freedom pursuant to our authority vested in us by the first article of the Constitution. And speaking of article I of the Constitution, the article vests all legislative power in the Congress of the United States. It doesn't ask us to ask the White House first whether it approves of what we do.”