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Rove won't be charged in CIA leak case
By JOHN SOLOMON, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 18 minutes ago
Top White House aide Karl Rove has been told by prosecutors he won't be charged with any crimes in the investigation into the leak of a CIA officer's identity, his lawyer said Tuesday, lifting a heavy burden from one of President Bush's most trusted advisers.
Attorney Robert Luskin said that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald informed him of the decision on Monday, ending months of speculation about the fate of Rove, the architect of Bush's 2004 re-election now focused on stopping Democrats from capturing the House or Senate in this November's elections.
Fitzgerald has already secured a criminal indictment against Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
The announcement cheered Republicans and a White House beleaguered by war and low approval ratings.
Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Rove, said the White House official "is elated" and said that "we're done."
Fitzgerald met with chief U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan before he notified Rove. Hogan has been overseeing the grand juries in the CIA leak case. Messages left with Fitzgerald's spokesman seeking comment were not immediately returned.
The prosecutor called Luskin late Monday afternoon to tell him he would not be seeking charges against Rove. Rove had just gotten on a plane, so his lawyer and spokesman did not reach him until he had landed in Manchester, N.H., where he was to give a speech to state GOP officials.
"In deference to the pending case, we will not make any further public statements about the subject matter of the investigation," Luskin said. "We believe the special counsel's decision should put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Rove's conduct."
Fitzgerald has been investigating whether senior administration officials intentionally leaked the identity of CIA undercover operative Valerie Plame in retribution because her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, sharply criticized the administration's pursuit of war in Iraq.
Rove testified five times before a grand jury, most recently in April. He has admitted he spoke with columnist Robert Novak and Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper in the days before they published Plame's name in July 2003.
Rove, however, did not originally tell prosecutors about his conversation with Cooper, only revealing it after his lawyer discovered a White House e-mail that referred to it.
Fitzgerald was investigating whether Rove lied or obstructed justice in failing to initially disclose the conversation. The presidential aide blamed a faulty memory and sought to testify before the grand jury after finding the e-mail to correct his testimony.
The threat of indictment had hung over Rove, even as Rove was focusing on the arduous task of halting Bush's popularity spiral and keeping Democrats from capturing the House or Senate in November elections.
Fitzgerald's investigation has been under way since the start of the 2004 election, and the decision not to indict Rove is certain to buoy Republicans, who also got good news in the last week with the military's killing of most-wanted Iraq terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
"The fact is this, I thought it was wrong when you had people like Howard Dean and (Sen.) Harry Reid presuming that he was guilty," Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman told Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" show Tuesday morning.
Democrats, on the other hand, had no reason to cheer.
"He doesn't belong in the White House. If the president valued America more than he valued his connection to Karl Rove, Karl Rove would have been fired a long time ago," said Dean, the Democratic Party chairman, speaking Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show. "So I think this is probably good news for the White House, but it's not very good news for America."
Rove has been at Bush's side since his days as Texas governor and was the architect of Bush's two presidential election victories. Rove assumed new policy responsibilities inside the White House in 2005 as deputy chief of staff.
However, as part of the shake-up brought by new White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten, Rove shed those policymaking duties earlier this year to return to full time politics.
Fitzgerald's case against Libby is moving toward trial, as the two sides work through pretrial issues such as access to classified documents.
Libby, 55, was charged last October with lying to the FBI and a federal grand jury about how he learned and when he subsequently told three reporters about Plame. He faces five counts of perjury, false statements and obstruction of justice.
With Rove's fate now decided, other unfinished business in Fitzgerald's probe focuses on the source who provided Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward information about Plame.
Woodward says his source, who he has not publicly identified, provided the information about Wilson's wife, several weeks before Novak learned of Plame's identity. The Post reporter, who never wrote a story, was interviewed by Fitzgerald late last year.
dmp said:First Zarqawi and now Rove not Charged??? HOLY LORD the turmoil which must be DU.com today.
Question is, where does Rove go to get his reputation back? :huh: Of course the dim bulbs will say 'he deserved it, for what they didn't find...' :rolleyes.
Kathianne said:
Bullypulpit said:We must, of course, respect the judicial process and accept the finding that Turdblossom has been cleared of wrong doing in the Valerie Plame affair. We have yet to find out, though, if he rolled someone higher up in the food-chain to save himself.
Rove Cleared, Zarqawi Dead, GOP Doomed
by Scott Ott
(2006-06-13) Republican electoral prospects in November appeared bleaker than ever this week after U.S. forces allowed al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to die in their custody and President George Bushs close friend and adviser Karl Rove fanned the flames of conspiracy theories by preventing a special prosecutor from charging him with any wrongdoing in the CIA leak investigation.
White House sources failed to return phone calls last night, in a virtual communication lockdown, as the Bush administration hunkered down to figure out how to cope with the latest breaking news.
In five appearances before a grand jury Mr. Rove employed what one source called his Jedi mind tricks.
But it was all for nothing, the unnamed source said, Since the lack of charges against him will only confirm Americas worst fears that Karl Rove controls everything.
Meanwhile jubilant Democrats hunted for media microphones, as one lawmaker said, to kick the cowboy while hes down.
This weeks slight increase in the presidents popularity ratings only highlights the depths to which he has fallen, according to political experts.
In a bit of fortuitous timing, a Democrat National Committee spokesman said the DNC is on the verge of announcing its vision and plan for Americas future, which should be unveiled any day now in the coming months.
California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the presumptive Speaker of the House, took the high road, offering words of consolation and comfort to our beleaguered Command in Chief.
We must rally around our chief executive in his time of need, Rep. Pelosi said. I call on all Americans to pray that God would lift President Bush from this pit of despair, and restore his confidence so that he may lead us boldly.
Bullypulpit said:We must, of course, respect the judicial process and accept the finding that Turdblossom has been cleared of wrong doing in the Valerie Plame affair. We have yet to find out, though, if he rolled someone higher up in the food-chain to save himself.
Kathianne said:
NEW YORK Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has informed Karl Roves lawyer that he will not be prosecuted in the Plame/CIA leak case, according to reports.
Attorney Robert Luskin said Fitzgerald informed him of the decision on Monday. President Bushs closest adviser testified five times before a grand jury.
On June 12, 2006, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove, Luskin said in a statement.
Luskin added that he would not address other legal questions surrounding Fitzgeralds decision. But he stated: "In deference to the pending case, we will not make any further public statements about the subject matter of the investigation. We believe that the Special Counsels decision should put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Roves conduct."
Top Ten (Themed!) Progressive Reactions To The End of Fitzmas
Well, who can resist the broad side of a barn when its just standing there waiting to be hit? With the usual caveats that I know all Democrats and lefties arent as ignorant as those I choose to spotlight here, I give you:
#10: The deep roots of the conspiracy prevented the truth from being known.
However, it also doesnt mean that Rove is innocent of any involvement in outing an undercover CIA agent whose job it was to protect us from rogue states seeking unsecured nuclear material and bombs.
Given the incredible secrecy that shrouds the White House secrecy largely brought on by Rove and his good friend Dick Cheney it was unlikely that Fitzgerald would be able to get to the bottom of the Plame case. Indictments for the crime that risked all our lives were never likely.
This letter most likely means that they were unable to catch Rove in an obvious lie as they did Scooter Libby.
#9. Obliviously bad timing. Nuff said
#8. Keeping hope alive in the face of all evidence to the contrary.
Ive said this before, and I will say it again: unless and until I hear it from Patrick Fitzgerald, the investigation continues to be ongoing. Which means that there are still potential developments down the road, should the evidence (like handwritten marching orders on the Wilson op-ed in Dick Cheneys handwriting) lead there.
#7. The worlds smallest headline from the home of screaming innuendo (youll have to strain your eyes on the top righthand side). Anyone want to guess the type size if Rove HAD been indicted?
#6. The reaction from the always-classy Democratic chairman.
He doesnt belong in the White House. If the president valued America more than he valued his connection to Karl Rove, Karl Rove would have been fired a long time ago, said Dean, the Democratic Party chairman, speaking Tuesday on NBCs Today show. So I think this is probably good news for the White House, but its not very good news for America.
#5. The attorney for an increasingly irrelevant man.
Statement of Christopher Wolf, Proskauer Rose LLP, Counsel for Ambassador Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson
We have become aware of the communication between Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Luskin concerning Karl. Roves status in the criminal investigation. We have no first-hand knowledge of the reason for the communication or what further developments in the criminal investigation it may signal. While it appears that Mr. Rove will not be called to answer in criminal court for his participation in the wrongful disclosure of Valerie Wilsons classified employment status at the CIA in retaliation against Joe Wilson for questioning the rationale for war in Iraq, that obviously does not end the matter. The day still may come when Mr. Rove and others are called to account in a court of law for their attacks on the Wilsons.
#4. The reaction from the lunatic fringe.
Im not trying to give people undue hope, or trying to cheer people up. But it has become clear that Cheney was the architect of this smear, from start to finish. It has been clear that Fitzgerald has Dick in his sights. If Fitzgerald got closer to being able to prove that case, I think it possible that the Texas mafia might sacrifice the person who caused all this difficulty (and who had become the White Houses anvil dragging it down) in order to save its beloved Turdblossom.
#3. A progressive with a sense of humor.
I find it amusing that the biggest story of the day is that a member of the Bush administration is NOT being indicted.
#2. Blame the prosecutor.
[M]any people have been executed in this country on circumstantial evidence much more flimsy than what Fitzgerald has to work with.
Its a triumph of a nit-picking, fact-obsessed mentality that refuses to make any intuitive leaps or take any risks.
Every last T has to be crossed and I dotted, or its no go.
Justice loses, and as Dean said, so does America.
#1. The reaction of the biggest dupe of all.
Four weeks ago, during the time when we reported that White House political adviser Karl Rove was indicted for crimes related to his role in the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson, the grand jury empanelled in the case returned an indictment that was filed under seal in US District Court for the District of Columbia under the curious heading of Sealed vs. Sealed.
As of Friday afternoon that indictment, returned by the grand jury the week of May 10th, remains under seal - more than a month after it was handed up by the grand jury.
Beautiful
Kathianne said:Moonbats Howling! All the red may be found at site, through links:
http://decision08.net/2006/06/13/top-ten-themed-progressive-reactions-to-the-end-of-fitzmas/
DNC Chair Howard Dean on NBC's 'TODAY': 'If Karl Rove had been indicted it would have been for perjury. That does not excuse his real sin which is leaking the name of an intelligence operative during the time of war. He doesn't belong in the White House. If the President valued America more than he valued his connection to Karl Rove, then Karl Rove would have been fired a long time ago. So I think this is probably good news for the White House, but its not very good news for America'...
For months it was screams and dreams from left-wing news sites on the internet: Karl Rove is on the verge of being indicted in the CIA leak case!
[This drama also played out last century with endless web warnings of Hillary Clinton indictments.]
Yet when word finally came down this morning that, in fact, Rove was on the verge of being cleared in the case, the fledgling sites somehow lost their way and suddenly struggled to keep up.
Some sites like truthout.org and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann opted for complete omission!
6:37 AM ET -- First Reported by Byron York at NATIONAL REVIEW.COM
6:40 AM -- News breaks on NYTIMES.COM
7:39 AM HUFFINGTON POST.COM [in small mouse type from automated AP feed: 'Rove won't be charged in CIA leak case']
8:21 AM -- RAWSTORY.COM still no splash headline
[At 9:21 AM -- RAW STORY splashes 'DRUDGE FALSIFIES REPORT ON RAW STORY... ROVE OFF HOOK IN CIA LEAK CASE: ATTORNEY']
More than two hours into the news cycle, truthout.org, a site which famously splashed the headline last month, 'Karl Rove Indicted on Charges of Perjury, Lying to Investigators,' a headline which ignited a firestorm in the underground, still featured no announcement of Rove NOT being charged.
Truthout.org was still standing by its story.
MSNBC's Keith Olbermann's page also carried no word on Rove being cleared, despite months of assuring his audience [ON MORE THAN 26 DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, ACCORDING TO NEXIS] how the Bush adviser faced indictment.
Developing...
Yet another left wing prediction that has proven itself to be a big pile of bull do-do!!!!!Kathianne said:The moonbats will be howling!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060613...4hqP0AC;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
dmp said:has anybody answered this question?
"Why aren't we bringing up on charges the name of the reporter who USED the agents name?"
