Posted on 10/05/2005 6:57:48 PM PDT by dogbyte12
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The federal prosecutor investigating who leaked the identity of a CIA operative is expected to signal within days whether he intends to bring indictments in the case, legal sources close to the investigation said on Wednesday.
As a first step, prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was expected to notify officials by letter if they have become targets, said the lawyers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Fitzgerald could announce plea agreements, bring indictments, or conclude that no crime was committed. By the end of this month he is expected to wrap up his nearly two-year-old investigation into who leaked CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity.
The inquiry has ensnared President George W. Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby. The White House had long maintained that Rove and Libby had nothing to do with the leak but reporters have since named them as sources.
Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, declined to say whether his client had been contacted by Fitzgerald. In the past, Luskin has said that Rove was assured that he was not a target.
Libby's lawyer was not immediately available to comment.
"It's an ongoing investigation and we're fully cooperating," said Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride.
The outcome of the investigation could shake up an administration already reeling from criticism over its response to Hurricane Katrina and the indictment of House Republican leader Tom DeLay on a conspiracy charge related to campaign financing.
New York Times reporter Judith Miller testified to the grand jury on Friday about the conversations she had with Libby.
Plame's diplomat husband, Joseph Wilson, has accused the administration of leaking her name, damaging her ability to work undercover, to get back at him for criticizing Bush's Iraq policy.
Fitzgerald's agreement to limit the scope of Miller's testimony to her conversations with Libby -- a proposal he rejected a year earlier -- suggested that Libby had become "the focus of interest," said one of the lawyers involved in the case.
After initially promising to fire anyone found to have leaked information in the case, Bush in July offered a more qualified pledge: "If someone committed a crime they will no longer work in my administration."
No, it doesn't matter. Oceanview, if YOU were in the crosshairs of a special prosecutor with a federal grand jury considering whether to issue felony indictments against you, I have no doubt that YOU also would try not to gratuitously piss off said special prosecutor.
unless there was some agreement for Libby such as "I can't clear you unless Miller is given some face saving means of testifying" - I would not have provided it.
Damn that was quick!
I had read that he was a Democrat, but perhaps I merely read that from another poster and assumed it was true and repeated it. In looking now, I can't find any information on his official political affiliation. Do you have any specific information on this?
His background -- from Brooklyn, parents first generation Irish, went to Harvard Law School. Was appointed US Attorney by this administration. Seems utterly apolitical in his career so far. Guess one can make what one will of that.
I spoke to Mr. Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, and he did not agree at that time to something that he later did agree to, which was to limit the scope of the questions he would ask, so as to assure that the only source he would effectively be asking about was Mr. Libby. She has other sources and was very concerned about the possibility of having to reveal those sources, or going back to jail because of them.As for what Fitzgerald will do, I have no idea. Regards,
That's exactly what I'm afraid of, because that's the kind of thing these special prosecutors do routinely. They take forever and a day to investigate the original charge, but typically find nothing there. So they indict some hapless individual for "perjury" even though no charges are ever brought on the original "crime."
Fitzgerald is a Democrat who has been given free rein to damage a president he opposes politcally. I don't trust him one tiny bit. He'll find some reason to bring an indictment, just like Ronnie Earle, only more slick.
Doesn't matter. They're Republicans. That's enough for indictment in this country.
The sad thing is the the White House will probably sing the praises of the prosecutor. Have him over for popcorn and a movie. Give him a high profile government assignment. Then kick a conservative in the head.
Perjury in front of a grand jury? Everybody does it.
Yes, the idea that she was sitting in jail for three months because she didn't believe she had a real waiver from Libby is simply not credible.
Interestingly, after that absurd explanation was floated and greeted with skepticism, Floyd Abrams gives the interview with Howie Kurtz of WaPo, in which he claims that the real reason she sat in jail for so long was because they couldn't come to an agreement with Fitzgerald on the agreement limiting scope of questioning.
But I find that equally not credible. If that was the reason she was languishing in jail, then wouldn't Fitzgerald be aware of it? Yet in his letter to Libby's lawyer he leaves the definite impression that he believes the only reason she is in jail is the "misunderstanding" over the Libby waiver.
And it appears to me from the press reports that reporters Kessler and Cooper probably also received agreements limiting scope of questioning, and neither of them had to go to jail in order to face down Fitzgerald to get such agreements.
So neither the Libby waiver explanation nor the agreement to limit scope of questioning explanation credibly explains why she went to jail.
The best theory I have at the moment is that Floyd Abrams and the NYT have been pushing the Federal Shield Law, they saw who they thought would be the perfect poster child for this, and convinced Judy Miller to drink the kool-aid.
A long time ago, someone around here said he was a Kennedy relative. Ya know, cuz of JFK's middle name.
Anyway, I did a google to see if I could find anything to confirm it, I came across a far out, tin foil, black helicopters, Build a Burger site... I just had to share it with someone & since you were the one I was gonna tell about the Kennedy connection, you're it. LOL
http://www.tomflocco.com/fs/BushCheneyIndicted.htm
As we all know, if there really were such indictments they also would have named Halliburton, LOL!
Luskin's silence worries me....he didn't hesitate in the past to say that Rove was not a target...
---
Agreed. I can only pray that Wilson and the rest got indicted as well and this isnt a one sided attack. This fall keeps getting worse and worse.
Libby will be indicted.
I predict this since the political winds just aren't great for the GOP right now.
Hopefully, it won't happen.
If there is any justice in the world, Joe Wilson will be indicted for perjury or obstruction or some comparable offense.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.