[Daralundy]

I must say I don't see the web of lies they say occurred.

[BobS]

All these reporters will be brought to the witness stand to testify. That's what the Post doesn't want!

[AZRepublican]

Fleischer recalled before the grand jury that Libby did mention Plame and said she worked in the "counterproliferation area of the CIA." Fleischer said Libby stressed that "the vice president did not send Ambassador Wilson to Niger . . . the CIA sent Ambassador Wilson to Niger . . . he was sent by his wife."

No harm there, Fleischer had clearence...where is the story? It was Joe Wilson who was running around lying by suggesting the VP was behind his trip. Judith Miller already had learned of a "Flame" before she met Libby.

ZZzzzzzZzzzzzzzZzzzzzzzZzzzzzz

[cgk]

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.

Libby denied mentioning Plame in July 2003. He did talk to Miller in June 2003. Did Fitz ask him about June 2003 or just July as this says? I don't see a lie, either. Considering she wasn't a covert agent, so no crime was committed because nothing was leaked, and Fitz himself says "I don't know if there was any damage", this just looks like a career-killer for Fitz.

[Darkwolf377]

It'll be most interesting to see how wide the net is cast in this investigation, and how the press supports it, and then see them back off when it comes to using the same methods in investigating the wiretap leak.

[GOPyouth]

to conceal that he had been a key source for reporters about undercover operative Valerie Plame

Right here the story starts off with false comments. I stopped reading right there.

[Lancey Howard]

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.

[AmericaUnited]

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

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.

[Patriot from Philly]

So now the classy WAPO is reduced to Libby fibbed! Libby fibbed!

What happened to 22 indictments, wide ranging conspiracy, the Espionage Act, harm to national security.

Remember who was being accused: Rove, Cheney, Hadley, Mattlin, Hughes, Bolton.

Now it's Libby's a fibber.

[kittymyrib]

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.

[wildcatf4f3]

posy still calls her "undercover"

[freeangel]

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.

[frankjr]

"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)????

[ReleaseTheHounds]

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!

[RedEyeJack]

"on charges of making false statements, perjury and obstruction of justice"... it would be very interesting to know when and under what circumstances, if at all, that Libby was advised he was suspected of having committed these crimes (believe this is a Miranda warning). Was it possible that Fitzgerald orchestrated his investigation to "create" these crimes? It appears that he knew early, as it says here, that there was no underlying crime but he didn't stop. He kept going and asking detailed questions about individual recollections looking for anomalies that could be used for these charges. This looks like a classic "witch-hunt" when you lay it out this way.

One might come to the conclusion that Mr. Fitzgerald has been writing a modern day version of the "Crucible".

[RedEyeJack]

"on charges of making false statements, perjury and obstruction of justice"... it would be very interesting to know when and under what circumstances, if at all, that Libby was advised he was suspected of having committed these crimes (believe this is a Miranda warning). Was it possible that Fitzgerald orchestrated his investigation to "create" these crimes? It appears that he knew early, as it says here, that there was no underlying crime but he didn't stop. He kept going and asking detailed questions about individual recollections looking for anomalies that could be used for these charges. This looks like a classic "witch-hunt" when you lay it out this way.

One might come to the conclusion that Mr. Fitzgerald has been writing a modern day version of the "Crucible".

[Just mythoughts]

"key source for reporters about undercover operative Valerie Plame"


No evidence that this is a truthful foundation. The whole investigation was premised upon a HOAX. Now Val gal might have been undercovers, but "operative"??

[norwaypinesavage]

Mrs. Joe Wilson can be refereed to in (at least) a half-dozen ways: Mrs. Joe Wilson, Valerie Wilson, Valerie Plame, CIA Operative, CIA Official, Wilson's wife, etc., etc. Almost any one of these stories can be changed from "lie" to "truth" by changing the way Mrs. Joe Wilson is referenced.

For example, Libby's exact words might have been: "A CIA official sent Joe Wilson to Niger." If a reporter recalls this statement as: Libby said "Wilson's wife sent him to Niger", this statement suddenly becomes a crime (at least in Fitzgerald's mind). This whole story will slowly dissolve into absolutely nothing. At least for everyone except Libby.

[popdonnelly]

None of what the Post alleges is a "web of lies" has been demonstrated or proven.

[dirtboy]

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.

So he should have folded his investigation at that point.

[tiki]

They're just putting this out for the Dims who missed Fitzmas. There's nothing new and there was nothing there to begin with.