Posted on 10/24/2005 9:05:41 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch
Monday, Oct. 24, 2005 10:24 p.m. EDT Times: Cheney First Disclosed CIA Official's Name
The New York Times reported late Monday that Vice President Cheney has been directly linked to the so-called "Plamegate" scandal involving the disclosure of the name of Valerie Plame, a CIA officer.
The paper reported that Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby "first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003."
The paper sourced their story to "lawyers involved in the case."
The Times said that notes taken by Libby differ from his own testimony before the grand jury as to when he first learned of Plame's identity.
"The notes, taken by Mr. Libby during the conversation, for the first time place Mr. Cheney in the middle of an effort by the White House to learn about Ms. Wilson’s husband, Joseph C. Wilson IV, who was questioning the administration’s handling of intelligence about Iraq’s nuclear program to justify the war."
Cheney apparently discovered details of Plame's CIA work after he questioned then CIA Director George J. Tenet about her husband, Ambassador Wilson.
But even if Libby or Cheney had disclosed Plame's identity as a CIA officer they may not have committed a crime.
"Disclosing a covert agent’s identity can be a crime, but only if the person who discloses it knows the agent’s undercover status," the Times said.
so Libby provides his notes, and then gives testimony contra to his own notes, which he provided? how's that?
Much ado about nothing.
That isn't going to keep the MSM from foaming at the mouth, though.
So isnt George Tenet the real culprit? This whole witch hunt is a bad joke
Ummm....errr....then doesn't that make George Tenet the source of the leak?
Looks like Tenet did it. Hell, I'll bet Wilson/Flame did it first. So what's the biggie? It was common knowlede and not a crime anyway. No crime. No foul.
I think the NYT has fallen over the edge. This sounds like wild eyed hysteria.
Amazingly she wasn't just some ol' gal baking cookies and being satisfied to be known as Mrs. Wilson.
Looks like the New York Times is trying to dig its way out of the blame for this story ~ just like the Warsh Post is doing.
Absolutely much ado about nothing. In addition, Cheney wouldn't have been dumb enough to blow an undercover agent. And even if he did, it's a tiny scandal. The people who are angry about this were never angry about such things before. If the worst happens and Cheney is indicted, I hope Bush has the character and the political wisdom to stand behind him 1,000 percent -- hell or high water, Mr. President.
do you remember the clintonista who claimed he "lied to his diary" when he gave conflicting testimony apart from his notes?
liberalism is garbageism
What is this repeated crap of "may not have committed a crime?" THERE WAS NO CRIME! She was not covert or an agent as far as I can tell!
It's all just noise.
did Cheney testify under oath in the GJ proceeding?
I think you hit the nail on the head. This is indeed a witch hunt. Has all the necessary traits. And yes, it is quite ridiculous. Particularly the way the media is outrightly foaming at the mouth hoping for the worst to happen so they can wax rhetoric on their various papers and tv shows.
Sounds like the only person who didn't know Valerie Plame was an employee of the CIA was the janitor.
It's just GOTCHA, played for blood. So terribly disgustingly Machiavellian.
We do know that Wilson lied to congress.
THAT is a FACT.
I don't think its noise.
if nothing happens this week, if no indictments come down - the MSM is going to have reached a new low. why would they go out on a limb with all these stories starting from late last week?
The real culprits are Plame and her stupid husband
Now its Cheney. Last week its Rove and Libby and anyone else who ever had an 'R after their name....By next week it'll be one of the switchboard ops at the WH. The NY Slimes is finished.
Cheney is ALLOWED to tell Libby about Plame, they both have security clearances.
And somehow I doubt that Libby wasn't smart enough to say what was in his own notes. Unless they got his notes from somewhere else.
If the notes actually said that Cheney/Libby talked about "getting" Wilson by outing his wife, they would have been out before the election -- no way the democrats wouldn't have leaked that to win.
It is almost as if the democrats are throwing out a dozen theories, each worse than the last, in the hopes that when Fitzgerald doesn't indict anybody, they can talk about all this evidence that was ignored. And, even though it was all speculation, people will remember it and treat is as true.
Just like people keep saying Wilson told the truth, that Bush lied in his 16 words, etc.
Ummm wouldn't that mean that the Plame name originally came from Tenet?
Well it's all guesswork but it looks like Rove isn't a target but Libby might be. If Libby lied then I can't defend him but if this thing is a goose chase about years old testimony then Fitzgerald is a joke.
It's the agenda === bring down Bush, and barring that, just bash the administration relentlessly and hope voters believe enough of it to vote democrat in '06 elections.
New lows are what the MSM does best.
I have a question.
How does anyone know whether Valerie Wilson, or Valerie Plame is the real name of the woman in question? Couldn't her name be something else and we just wouldn't know?
If she was "covert" at any time, how do we know she is not covert now, under a different name? Or not?
This whole thing could be a giant diversion.
Soooo, Tenet was the source. Tenet telling Cheney would be no crime. Cheney telling Libby would be no crime. Crime, Crime who's got the crime?
Good grief...how can you ask the question, with a straight face? Just how young are you? The MSM has ALWAYS and EVER gone out on a limb, when they hate someone/s and are salivating at the prospect of bringing him/her/them down.
Why has the Times launched a public attack on its own reporter, Judith Miller? Why did Miller's Times Editor, Abramson, refuse Miller permission to pursue the Wilson/Plame connection?
its one thing to have a political bias on a story. this is a story that will have a definitive endgame - either there will be indictments, or there won't be.
Why? Tenent is supposed to provide Bush and Cheney with classified information. Presumably Libby has security clearance to receive information from Cheney. It breaks down when Libby gives classified information to Miller or others. Cheney's only liability here would be if he lied about telling Libby or if he was actually involved in a conspiracy with Libby to out Plame. Not likely.
So? Cheney has security clearance to possess that info, and so does Libby. Conversation between the two of them does not constitute any prohibited disclosure, unless others without clearance were present or were shown the Libby's notes later.
it has no merit factually, unless Cheney testified under oath to the contrary. on the spin side, the media will spin any indictment of Libby into a "he lied to cover for Cheney".
I'd venture to say that this is all part of the continual undermining of the Bush administration that's been going on since 2002.
Again, this is all just so much NOISE; as is any factless discussion of it.
Libby telling Miller or other reporters could be a crime. Lying about whether you did or did not tell somebody is a crime.
Let's see VP in presence of Cleared Chief of Staff mentions Valery Stains name in relation to Husband. Now foul here.
Chief of staff blabs to UNCLEARED pressies ----FOUL!!!! Ref's Flags litter the field.
The Democrat primaries should have been a frightening wakeup call for those who do not want to see this President and this country trashed from pillar to post by the radical left. The Democrat primaries of 2004 should have told everyone they're dead-dog serious about this whether it's true or not.
No.
They're out for blood --- GOP blood and "some" on our side are aiding and abetting. Big time.
The libs should just file this under "Be careful what you wish for". They would LOVE to take Cheney down, but have no idea of consequences that might have for their future plans: "Vice President Rice" - sounds like 'Goodbye Hillary' to me...
Miller did not say that Libby told her. Miller lying would be a crime.
Bud didn't Judith Miller say she had clearance for something?
And what kind of clearance did Wilson have that would have allowed him to go on a mission to a foreign country to ascertain if a third power was attempting to buy nuclear material?
CIA is full of nut jobs. Hasn't it been the left that has been telling us that our lack of HUMINT is what is causing our intel failures?
And lookie who they send ....
"Be careful what you wish for" is exactly right.
Do these fools think that whoever is indicted in this White House is not going to fight back?
They'll depose EVERYBODY; and anybody who lies will be in big trouble.
Might be a crime, but Libby telling anyone about Plame is not in evidence.
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