Posted on 02/03/2006 11:39:53 PM PST by Daralundy
Judge's Report Shows Cheney Aide Is Accused Of Broad Deception
The special prosecutor in the CIA leak case alleged that Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff was engaged in a broader web of deception than was previously known and repeatedly lied to conceal that he had been a key source for reporters about undercover operative Valerie Plame, according to court records released yesterday.
The records also show that by August 2004, early in his investigation of the disclosure of Plame's identity, Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald had concluded that he did not have much of a case against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby for illegally leaking classified information. Instead, Fitzgerald was focused on charging Cheney's top aide with perjury and making false statements, and knew he needed to question reporters to prove it.
The court records show that Libby denied to a grand jury that he ever mentioned Plame or her CIA job to then-White House press secretary Ari Fleischer or then-New York Times reporter Judith Miller in separate conversations he had with each of them in early July 2003. The records also suggest that Libby did not disclose to investigators that he first spoke to Miller about Plame in June 2003, and that prosecutors learned of the nature of the conversation only when Miller finally testified late in the fall of 2005.
All three specific allegations are contained in previously redacted sections of a U.S. Court of Appeals opinion that were released yesterday. The opinion analyzed Fitzgerald's secret evidence to determine whether his case warranted ordering reporters to testify about their confidential conversations with sources.
Fitzgerald revealed none of these specifics when he publicly announced Libby's indictment in October on charges of making false statements, perjury and obstruction of justice.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Right here the story starts off with false comments. I stopped reading right there.
On the one hand, you can't trust the Washington Post too much more than you would trust the National Enquirer or The New York Times. On the other hand, if Libby did lie his behind off about something as stupid as Plame, then he deserves to go to jail.
The reason the whole thing makes no sense is that you or I or any other freeper would have looked straight at Fitz in that grand jury room and said, "Yeah, I told plenty of people about Plame and Wilson and their rogue political operation to try to smear the President in an election year - - what about it?" So why on God's green earth wouldn't Libby say something along those lines?? (Of course, maybe - - hopefully - - he did.) This whole thing makes no sense to me.
But if it turns out that Libby WAS stupid enough to lie, then buh-bye to him - - no sympathy from me.
No way.Scooter's lawyer wants the delay.Scooter is walking tall and looking good.The more discovery pre-trial,the more Fitz and the whole scheme is exposed.The big mo is with Scooter.His defense fund is being bumped by heavy hitters,guys like Jack Kemp and others.Last I heard there's 2 mil in the bank.Our side wants this fight.
Don't you=Don't you think
So Mr. Anal wasted the taxpayers money by going on a fishing expedition to drum up 'SOMETHING', a task that he WAS NOT charged with.
Plus it's not hay for the rats a month before the elections.
Strategery,it's an amazing thing! HA!:)
Well know isn't it interesting that they never ascertained Plame's status?
I have to wonder what happened over at the CIA and the Whitehouse when Joe Wilson's arguably classified OPED hit the NYT back in 2003...I imagine there was an angry phone call from GW to Tenet asking what the hell was going on...Tenet then puts out an "Emergency Data Call" to the Dept Heads to find out "Who the hell is Joe Wilson?".
After Tenet gets the story, he probably personally briefed the President. I would love to know how Tenet explained this kerfluffle. No one in the media has ever asked Tenet about this...It's almost as if they don't want the truth out there.
The Administation should have never gone on the defensive about this...The Wilson trip was a staged political attack.
Talk about beating a thoroughly dead horse. I guess they had to find this empty-filler article from last summer so they don't have room to publish the Muslim cartoons.
[I heard that it's delayed until Jan., 2007.
What's up with that?]
A possible answer is that the trial will be closer to the 08 presidential elections.
posy still calls her "undercover"
Talk about moving at a snail's pace this trial won't begin until sometime next year.
There needs to be a gag order on the whole thing with jail penalties until the trial. And what's with this whole thing about the speedy trial being waved by Libby because his lawyer was involved in another trial? The longer this is out there with smears from the prosecutors and left, the more it will seriously hurt in Nov. Libby's trial isn't expected top get under way antil Jan. 2007.
"I must say I don't see the web of lies they say occurred."
You're right, there is none. The only thing that is shown is Fitz new early on that he had no case against anyone on IIPA (Intel Identity Protection Act). So Fitz spent the last year and a half trying to trap someone in perjury. He was able to come up with a weak case against Libby based on reporter's testimony whose memories appear to be no better than Libby's. Immaterial misstatements on no underlying crime is not perjury. Fitz knows he is on the ropes...the question is does he do the right thing and drop the charges or does he fight it out like a cornered frightened animal (only to lose in the end anyway)????
Let the games (trial) begin! Haul the Post and NY Slimes into court and let's start doing discovery! Get Fitz's thin file and discover how over-the-top this whole prosecution is. I expect "the government" to drop its case long before this approaches a trial. Way to go, MSM! You've gotten what you wished for!
Amen, Anti-Bubba!
What gets me is that Fitz basically admits that there was nothing to the spy outting charge, so he decided early on to go after Libby for lying.
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