ANDRIA HALL, CNN ANCHOR: A plea agreement has reportedly been reached in the case against Los Alamos nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee. CNN Justice correspondent Pierre Thomas joins us now from Washington with more on this developing story -- Pierre.</s>PIERRE THOMAS, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Andria, Wen Ho Lee has agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of mishandling classified information. Wen Ho Lee has said that he did, in fact, mishandle this information, but he's not pleading guilty to espionage. He was not charged with espionage. He's pleading guilty to mishandling classified information. He had faced up to life in prison on 59 counts -- a 59-count indictment by the government lodged in December of last year. He could be freed as early as tomorrow if the judge agrees with this, or uphold his plea agreement. So Wen Ho Lee could be free as early as tomorrow.</s>HALL: Pierre, what are the implications here with this plea agreement?</s>THOMAS: Well one of the things is that it's clear that the government will have some questions to answer in terms of Wen Ho Lee has been held in jail since he was indicted in December of last year under very stringent conditions. So with the government now reaching a plea agreement with Wen Ho Lee, some of his supporters are already talking about the fact that, look, the government never had a case that Wen Ho Lee gave this information to anyone. Why did they put him under such stringent conditions? Why was he facing life imprisonment? And now the government apparently is agreeing that they don't have a case that he gave this information to anyone and that he perhaps should cooperate with the government. He will cooperate with the government as part of this agreement. But again, no evidence that he gave the information to anyone. The government now trying to get whatever information he does have. He could be freed very, very soon, Andria.</s>HALL: Pierre Thomas in Washington, thanks for the very latest on that.
Wen Ho Lee Reaches Deal with Government