Cheney is the leak....or not

[Avatar4321]

Don't you just love misleading news headlines?

Seriously here, the media really needs to wait till they can prove stuff before they make claims like this.

What really is amazing here is that the libs still havent proved that a crime was committed. Looking at the laws, she wasn't a covert operative as defined by the statute. So what the heck is the point of all this?

 

[Eightball]

If Tenet told Cheney, then how could Cheney be the leak. In fact how can Cheney or anyone be at blame if they aren't aware that the lady was an agent? You can only be at fault if you are aware that the lady was an agent, and so far no one accused of leaking was aware of her status as an agent.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

It all depends on what your definition of "is" is...

 

[Freedom Lover]

The woman was a desk jockey when her name appeared in Bob Novak's column, six years after her status as a covert agent ended. The law states the name of a covert agent can not be revealed for a period of five years after the individual has come in from the cold. No law breaking here by anyone!

Don't be surprised, however, that some kind of indictment will be handed down because this is a Republican administration so something has to be amiss here. It is a sad day in America when people can be prosecuted for having political policy differences. Kind of reminds me of living in the socialist type of society that Democrats and their willing accomplices in the media seem to want.

 

[Adam's Apple]

...how can Cheney or anyone be at blame if they aren't aware that the lady was an agent?

Good question. It was common knowledge in Washington that Plame worked for the CIA, but not as a covert agent. At the time Novak wrote his column, Plame was not working as a covert agent for the CIA, and even Joe Wilson verified that in an interview on CNN.

I think it is odd that Joe Wilson, known in Washington to be anti-war, said that he had been recommended for his mission to Niger by Cheney's office. This was denied by the Bush Administration, and it was established that it was Plame who actually recommended Wilson for the job. Now Fitzgerald's office has leaked to the press that Cheney was the person who "outed" Plame as a "covert" agent. Sounds a lot like a payback to me. Rest assured, in a court of law, Cheney will rip Fitzgerald's made-up case apart.

 

[Annie]

Mucho links:

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2005/10/notes_ex_machin.html

Notes Ex Machina

The NY Times delivers a shocker in the Plame case - per notes taken by Lewis Libby, George Tenet, former director of the CIA, told Dick Cheney that Ms. Wilson was involved in Joe Wilson's trip to Niger. Dick Cheney then relayed this information to Libby on June 12, 2003, the day of the oft-cited Walter Pincus article.

Why is this big huge? As the Times recounts, up to now various leaks have suggested that Libby is relying on a "Blame the media" strategy: Libby has reportedly testified that he first learned about the "Wilson and wife" story from reporters in conversations that took place in July.

That story fell a bit flat when Judy Miller reported that Libby seemed to have mentioned the Wilson's wife at their June 23 meeting (more Miller excerpts at the end of this post).

Of course, these leaks are to be believed, then if Libby learned about Wilson's wife on June 12, Libby lied! And maybe Cheney did too! Among the left-leaning blogs, there is a parade that lacks only a marching band: Jane Hamsher thinks Cheney lied; Jeralyn Merritt thinks Libby lied to protect Cheney, as do Mark Kleiman and Steve Clemons; and the emptywheel thinks the Tenet connection is a misdirection (we score that as interesting, but...).

Fascinating. A few of these fine bloggers take a stab at a very obvious question - where did these notes come from? Libby is cooperating and has finally turned them over seems to be the consensus among those who hazard any guess at all; put the Anon Lib in that group.

We score this a "Maybe". Maybe Libby has hidden these notes all along, and has hoped that (a) Cheney lied or forgot his talk with Libby when interviewed as part of the investigation; (b) Tenet lied or forgot his talk with Cheney; or, (c) to fit the emptywheel notion, Cheney was foresighted enough to lie to Libby about his source when Libby was taking notes back in June 2003; and (d) neither White House nor CIA phone logs and sign in sheets would put Cheney and Tenet in a meeting where Wilson might have been discussed and about which they might have been questioned.

All possible in the Grand Conspiracy and cover-up! But let's take a few steps back, and conjure a conspiracy of our own.

First, the NY Times reported in Feb 2004 that Fitzgerald's investigation was relying on Libby's "copious notes" which were delivered (we guessed) in response to a Sept 2003 document request when this Plame leak investigation started.

Now, the high priced legal talent is paid to review everything submitted to the prosecutor. What are the odds they overlooked this morsel that Cheney told Libby about Wilson's wife?

So let's guess that Libby's counsel, and Libby, knew all about the Cheney connection more or less at the outset of the investigation. Libby would have been advised to be forthcoming with the grand jury - after all, as the Times notes, "It would not be illegal for either Mr. Cheney or Mr. Libby, both of whom are presumably cleared to know the government's deepest secrets, to discuss a C.I.A. officer or her link to a critic of the administration."

And on to the conspiracy! Why do the Commentariat think Libby testified to a "Blame the media" strategy? Is this conventional wisdom based on leaks from Fitzgerald? No.

As many have noted, most of these leaks are coming from lawyers whose clients work for the Administration (a few reporter's attorneys have been swept up as well, of course).

So, suppose Libby's attorneys have been whiling away the summer months, and on into autumn, feeding the press a partially true cover story that Libby was blaming the Plame leaks on Tim Russert, and encouraging speculation about Judy Miller. Clinton's team made the mistake of attacking the prosecutor and drawing return fire; this time, the White House was crafty enough to attack the press.

Right wing running dogs (my hand is held high!) are always ready to denounce the media; the left was hopelessly distracted by Judy Miller; and Dick Cheney was kept out of the story until the final week. If that was an objective, Mission Accomplished.

In this theory, Fitzgerald (if he reads the papers) is laughing out loud - Libby testified to Cheney's role almost two years ago, and Fitzgerald doesn't care about Cheney. The Times certainly gives that impression, noting that Cheney is not being reinterviewed by Fitzgerald.

As to Libby's "Blame the media" pose - his actual testimony may only be a bit different from the staged leaks. For example, perhaps Libby testified that he only talked with reporters about Wilson's wife after hearing about it from other reporters, and in leaks to the press that conveniently morphed into "Libby only knew about it after talking with reporters". Blame the media, shield Cheney, disclose the near-truth - a trifecta!

And why did Fitzgerald pursue the media so intently? Because he still needs to know who leaked, and Libby's "blame the media" strategy" is relevant to that line of inquiry even if Cheney's role has been fully disclosed. As to the current gloomy atmospherics at the White House - well, they aren't staging that. Libby may well have other problems with his Judy Miller/Tim Russert testimony that have nothing to do with Cheney.

Here we are. Even some aficionados are growing weary of this speculation and leak-parsing (but not me!). Since Fitzgerald is expected to announce something (anything!) this week, this debate has the feel of ruminating about which team has the best chance to win the World Series with two outs in the ninth inning of the seventh game.

Put another way - Time will tell, shortly. But don't rule out the possibility that all of those leaks about Libby's testimony have been a misdirection play. That seems at least as plausible as a grand conspiracy involving eerily prescient missing notes, tampered records and false statements from Cheney and Tenet.

MORE: Now, if we can just come up with a scenario in which Fitzgerald indicts Harriet Miers...

TIMES SELECT SPECIAL ALERT: Neither Kristof nor Tierney see big things coming from this investigation. Kristof is worried about equivocval evidence and overzealous prosecutirs, mentions "Inspector Javert, and reprises his Oct 11 2003 column telling us that Ms. Plame was outed to the Russkies in 1994.

Tierney is also worried about perjury and obstruction charges for a non-crime. Best line:

The special prosecutor was assigned to look for serious crimes, not to uncover evidence that bureaucrats blame other bureaucrats when things go wrong.

 

[Bullypulpit]

Don't you just love misleading news headlines?

Seriously here, the media really needs to wait till they can prove stuff before they make claims like this.

What really is amazing here is that the libs still havent proved that a crime was committed. Looking at the laws, she wasn't a covert operative as defined by the statute. So what the heck is the point of all this?

As usual, you're just wrong. Valerie Plame, before she was outed by Robert Novac worked under non-official cover. This is the deepest cover for CIA operatives, and they often work abroad without any diplomatic protection. This means that if they're discovered by a hostile power they will likely die, or wish they had.

Her cover was that of an energy analyst for Brewster Jennings and Associates, a CIA front company set up to investigate the relationships between various groups involved in the smuggling of nuclear materials. With this cover operation blown, the ability to gather intel on these groups was severely compromised as was the security of the United States.

The felony aspect of revealing the name of a CIA operative aside, at the very least, revealing the name of such an operative in a game of "Gotcha" by a corrupt and vindictive administration lies in the realm of high crimes and misdemeanors. At worst, it is outright treason.

 

[manu1959]

As usual, you're just wrong. Valerie Plame, before she was outed by Robert Novac worked under non-official cover. This is the deepest cover for CIA operatives, and they often work abroad without any diplomatic protection. This means that if they're discovered by a hostile power they will likely die, or wish they had.

Her cover was that of an energy analyst for Brewster Jennings and Associates, a CIA front company set up to investigate the relationships between various groups involved in the smuggling of nuclear materials. With this cover operation blown, the ability to gather intel on these groups was severely compromised as was the security of the United States.

The felony aspect of revealing the name of a CIA operative aside, at the very least, revealing the name of such an operative in a game of "Gotcha" by a corrupt and vindictive administration lies in the realm of high crimes and misdemeanors. At worst, it is outright treason.

ok lets say she was in, to use your phrase "... deepest cover for CIA operatives" as uper secret spook......how did the press know to ask good olde dick if she was a spook....if she was a super secret spook....

 

[Bullypulpit]

ok lets say she was in, to use your phrase "... deepest cover for CIA operatives" as uper secret spook......how did the press know to ask good olde dick if she was a spook....if she was a super secret spook....

From what I can tell, nobody "asked" about Ms. Plame until certain someone's in the White House started calling reporters to offer the information about her status in the CIA.

A good summary of the whole sordid affair may be found here:

<center><a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plame_affair>The Plame Affair</a></center>

But when push comes to shove, it's not about Rove or Libby...It's about Bush and Cheney and the whole mess of cooked, spun, cherry-picked and fabricated intel the Adminstration used to provide the rationale for going to war with Iraq...You remember, WMD's?...The "smoking gun/mushroom cloud" thing?...The Nigerian yellow-cake?...

 

[spillmind]

my prediction:

Rove walks

Cheney walks

DeLay walks

and the republicans remain thrilled these are the people running the country.

 

[manu1959]

From what I can tell, nobody "asked" about Ms. Plame until certain someone's in the White House started calling reporters to offer the information about her status in the CIA.

A good summary of the whole sordid affair may be found here:

<center><a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plame_affair>The Plame Affair</a></center>

But when push comes to shove, it's not about Rove or Libby...It's about Bush and Cheney and the whole mess of cooked, spun, cherry-picked and fabricated intel the Adminstration used to provide the rationale for going to war with Iraq...You remember, WMD's?...The "smoking gun/mushroom cloud" thing?...The Nigerian yellow-cake?...

reporters asked him not the other way round....

i have never understood the press' facination with WMD's as the cause for war to the exclusion of all other facts.....but just for fun .... if they cooked the intel why didn't they plant WMD's

 

[manu1959]

my prediction:

Rove walks

Cheney walks

DeLay walks

and the republicans remain thrilled these are the people running the country.

tough to prove them guilty of a crime

rove: guilty of lying to the press

cheney: guilty of being smarter than the people that are trying to catch him

delay: guilty of being a pompous ass and using the rules to his adavantage

 

[TheButlerDidIt]

What about the reports from her neighbors that her employment with the CIA was never a secret?

 

[Hobbit]

What about the reports from her neighbors that her employment with the CIA was never a secret?

NEIGHBORS ARE IRRELIVANT!! BUSH IS A CRIMINAL AND MUST BE STOPPED!!!

 

[manu1959]

What about the reports from her neighbors that her employment with the CIA was never a secret?

i thought she ......"worked under non-official cover. This is the deepest cover for CIA operatives, and they often work abroad without any diplomatic protection. This means that if they're discovered by a hostile power they will likely die, or wish they had."

what the hell was she a desperate spy?

 

[Lefty Wilbury]

lets look at some facts here. wilson is a liar and always has been he claims in public he debunked the iraq-niger claim but he told the senate something completely different.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5458642

Reports bolster Bush Iraq-uranium claim

The Senate report challenges Wilson’s denial that his wife had a role in the selection and questions his account of the intelligence available at the time of his trip. It also said that his trip, rather than discrediting the Iraq-Niger link, actually bolstered the views of some analysts who suspected Saddam was seeking uranium.

----------------
wait there's more! same article
-----------------

Additional intel suggests Iraq-uranium link

But the Senate committee disclosed other intelligence suggesting that Iraq was pursuing uranium.

The committee cited separate reports received from foreign intelligence services on Oct. 15, 2001, and Feb. 5, 2002, and March 25, 2002. The State Department doubted the accuracy of the reports, but the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency had more confidence in them.

Though Wilson reported to U.S. officials there was “nothing to the story” that Niger sold uranium to Iraq, the CIA and DIA were intrigued by one element of his trip. Wilson had said a former prime minister of Niger, Ibrahim Mayaki, mentioned a visit from an Iraqi delegation in 1999 that expressed interest in expanding commercial ties with Niger, the world’s third largest producer of mined uranium. Mayaki believed this meant they were interested in buying uranium.

‘Intelligence was credible’
The British inquiry said it was generally accepted that Iraqi officials visited Niger in 1999, and there was intelligence from several sources that the visit was to acquire uranium. “Since uranium constitutes almost three-quarters of Niger’s exports, the intelligence was credible,” the report said.

The Senate committee also described various reports about Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from French, British and unidentified foreign governments.

But how much credibility these reports had was not clear. The Senate committee criticized the CIA for “inconsistent and at times contradictory” reports to policy-makers on the uranium issue.

An internal CIA memo from June 17, 2003, said, “We no longer believe there is sufficient other reporting to conclude that Iraq pursued uranium from abroad.”

But beyond internal correspondence, “to date, the intelligence community has not published an assessment to clarify or correct its position on whether or not Iraq was trying to purchase uranium from Africa,” the Senate committee said.


---------------------

he said the vp sent him again he lied see above. undercover? hardly again wilsons own words:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-07-14-cia-wilson_x.htm

In The Politics of Truth, former ambassador Joseph Wilson writes that he and his future wife both returned from overseas assignments in June 1997. Neither spouse, a reading of the book indicates, was again stationed overseas. They appear to have remained in Washington, D.C., where they married and became parents of twins. (Related story: Bush waits on Rove)

Six years later, in July 2003, the name of the CIA officer — Valerie Plame — was revealed by columnist Robert Novak.


--------

she was out of the game for a good while and shes been a desk jockey since then. 1997+5=2002. novaks colum 2003. as far as cheney and libby BOTH are entitled to handle classified info because of thier postions. as far as tenet telling cheney tenet said a afew years ago he never told anyone anything. i'm begining to think the nytimes is throwing shit out there just to get back at the white house because the times is looking bad and they balem the white house for that.

 

[spillmind]

lets look at some facts here. wilson is a liar and always has been he claims in public he debunked the iraq-niger claim but he told the senate something completely different.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5458642

Reports bolster Bush Iraq-uranium claim

The Senate report challenges Wilson’s denial that his wife had a role in the selection and questions his account of the intelligence available at the time of his trip. It also said that his trip, rather than discrediting the Iraq-Niger link, actually bolstered the views of some analysts who suspected Saddam was seeking uranium.

----------------
wait there's more! same article
-----------------

Additional intel suggests Iraq-uranium link

But the Senate committee disclosed other intelligence suggesting that Iraq was pursuing uranium.

The committee cited separate reports received from foreign intelligence services on Oct. 15, 2001, and Feb. 5, 2002, and March 25, 2002. The State Department doubted the accuracy of the reports, but the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency had more confidence in them.

Though Wilson reported to U.S. officials there was “nothing to the story” that Niger sold uranium to Iraq, the CIA and DIA were intrigued by one element of his trip. Wilson had said a former prime minister of Niger, Ibrahim Mayaki, mentioned a visit from an Iraqi delegation in 1999 that expressed interest in expanding commercial ties with Niger, the world’s third largest producer of mined uranium. Mayaki believed this meant they were interested in buying uranium.

‘Intelligence was credible’
The British inquiry said it was generally accepted that Iraqi officials visited Niger in 1999, and there was intelligence from several sources that the visit was to acquire uranium. “Since uranium constitutes almost three-quarters of Niger’s exports, the intelligence was credible,” the report said.

The Senate committee also described various reports about Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from French, British and unidentified foreign governments.

But how much credibility these reports had was not clear. The Senate committee criticized the CIA for “inconsistent and at times contradictory” reports to policy-makers on the uranium issue.

An internal CIA memo from June 17, 2003, said, “We no longer believe there is sufficient other reporting to conclude that Iraq pursued uranium from abroad.”

But beyond internal correspondence, “to date, the intelligence community has not published an assessment to clarify or correct its position on whether or not Iraq was trying to purchase uranium from Africa,” the Senate committee said.


---------------------

he said the vp sent him again he lied see above. undercover? hardly again wilsons own words:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-07-14-cia-wilson_x.htm

In The Politics of Truth, former ambassador Joseph Wilson writes that he and his future wife both returned from overseas assignments in June 1997. Neither spouse, a reading of the book indicates, was again stationed overseas. They appear to have remained in Washington, D.C., where they married and became parents of twins. (Related story: Bush waits on Rove)

Six years later, in July 2003, the name of the CIA officer — Valerie Plame — was revealed by columnist Robert Novak.


--------

she was out of the game for a good while and shes been a desk jockey since then. 1997+5=2002. novaks colum 2003. as far as cheney and libby BOTH are entitled to handle classified info because of thier postions. as far as tenet telling cheney tenet said a afew years ago he never told anyone anything. i'm begining to think the nytimes is throwing shit out there just to get back at the white house because the times is looking bad and they balem the white house for that.

dude, that's amazing. i've decided rove and cheney are my new heroes. i wonder if they do kids birthday parties? i could only wish i was that much of a model american.

 

[Avatar4321]

dude, that's amazing. i've decided rove and cheney are my new heroes. i wonder if they do kids birthday parties? i could only wish i was that much of a model american.

Not tough to do. Just be honest, don't commit crimes, and actually try supporting this country for a change instead of trying to undermine it for your own political purposes. Id rather through my support in with Cheney and Rove than with Wilson. (Seriously why do you democrats always gravitate to people who have to lie and make things up to make their points?)

Oh and did you even read what he posted? He didnt even mention Rove.

 

[spillmind]

Not tough to do. Just be honest, don't commit crimes, and actually try supporting this country for a change instead of trying to undermine it for your own political purposes. Id rather through my support in with Cheney and Rove than with Wilson. (Seriously why do you democrats always gravitate to people who have to lie and make things up to make their points?)

Oh and did you even read what he posted? He didnt even mention Rove.

and here i went and respected your intelligence just to watch you contradict yourself. i can't believe you are defending this scum to the bitter end. i'm not a democrat. and i'll be happy watching you squirm when this corrupt filth goes down.

 

[theim]

and here i went and respected your intelligence just to watch you contradict yourself. i can't believe you are defending this scum to the bitter end. i'm not a democrat. and i'll be happy watching you squirm when this corrupt filth goes down.

Yeah whatever. And after it is proven that no crime is committed and revealing a Langley desk-jockey's name, you'll disappear for a few weeks or a month until the next Dem-manufactured "scandal du jour".