THE TESTIMONY CONTINUES (for some reason, I was having trouble getting it to update for awhile):
1:41
W: Focuses on the key paragraph of the column. Two SAOs told me. WRT statement about 2 SAOs, who were the two?
RN: Both of those officials have signed waivers I'm free to give their names, then Dpty SOS Armitage, and Senior WH Aide, Karl Rove.
W: Start with how you came to speak with Armitage.
RN: I had been trying to get appointment with Armitage since 2001, he had declined to see me, had indicated he just didn't want to see me. After 9/11 I tried again, got rebuffed. At the end of June, last week of June, his office contacted me, said he'd see me. Made appointment for July 8, afternoon, his office, State.
W: What you recall about conversation.
RN: The only people in room were Armi and me, no aides, no tape recorders, I did not take notes, it was by tacit agreement rather than by stipulation, a background, I assumed I could write what he said, but I wouldn't be able to identify him, I also got to the point, I had decided by then I was going to write a column about Wilson's mission to Niger.
W What he told you WRT Wilson's wife.
RN: After we talked about mission, I asked why in the world they named WIlson when he had been staffer in Clinton NSC, he was believed to be critical of Bush, no experience in policy, had not been in Niger since 1970s [wrong again, Novak], so Armi said he was suggested by wife Valerie who was employee in CPD at CIA.
W You specifically recall that Armi referred to Wilson's wife by name,
RN Yes, as Valerie
W How did you come to learn her last name
RN Wilson's entry in Who's Who. It was listed as Valerie Plame.
W Armitage did not give you the last name.
W You used the term Agency operative. Did that come from Armitage
RN I've referred to people probably too much as operatives politicians as political operatives. Didn't indicate I had knowledge of her being intell operative but as employee of CIA.
W Did you have knowledge she was covert.
RN No.
W Fair to say Armi primary source. Did you have confirming source.
RN That was Karl Rove. In 2003 he was senior advisor to Pres on a wide variety of subjects. He had a lot to do with political strategy.
W To make sure they stayed in office.
RN MOre than that, that they were successful.
W That they were re-elected.
RN He was trying to do a good job for country.
W Personal Friend?
RN I wouldn't call him friend, I'd say very good source.
W When did you speak with Rove.
RN I called as soon as I returned, I can never remember getting him back right away, I think it was that day he returned the call.
W Conversaion the next on July 9
RN When we had that conversation–it could have been July 8, I haven't been able to pin it down. Mainly I was interested in Rove, I'm sorry, mostly Wilson mission to Niger, Asked him about that and policy. Near the end, I asked about Wilson's wife, I asked if he knew, I commented, I had been told that she was an employee of CPD of CIA and had suggested mission. He said, "oh you know that too."
W Did you take that as confirmation
RN I took it as confirmation
STILL MORE:
1:51
W To what extent was your long-standing relationship with him factor into the fact that you took that as confirmation.
RN I knew when he was confirming something. When he said "oh you know that too" I took that as confirmation.
W I want to go to your conversations with Libby. Did you also speak with Libby.
RN Yessir.
W Relationship with Libby.
RN I had never had contact until election of VP Cheney in 2000 [interesting way to describe that!]. I asked him out to lunch, a couple of social events, I went to his book party, I called him a couple of three times during that year, that was about the extent of it.
W Introduces his phone bill.
RN What was the question?
W Describe to jurors
RN Phone record of phoned in call from my number in Washington at 4:46 PM on July 8 to Mr. Libby's office at WH.
W Going through phone number. It says Inside.
RN That's the name of my column.
W How do you know that shows you call.
RN It's like an eye test.
W magnifies it. Walton points out that it's in front of him on a screen.
RN That says one minute, I didn't talk to him for one minute. I asked for him, and he was unavailable.–they took a message.
RN I believe he returned call on July 9.
W Describe your recollection of your conversation.
RN I was trying to find out more information about Wilson's mission to Niger and VP's connection. Most memorable about call, I asked Libby if he might be helpful to me in establishing timeline in 16 words. When they came in, who proposed it, sort of a consecutive account that I could put in column. I interpreted him as saying he could be helpful.
W In context of talking to Libby did Wilson's wife come up.
RN I don't remember exactly, I might have raised that question, I got no help, and no confirmation on that issue. The reason I'm fuzzy is that I talk to a lot of people in govt an politics everyday and a lot of them are not very helpful and I discard unhelpful conversations in my memory bank.
W You have a clear recollection he gave you no info about it.
RN I'm sure he gave be no info about it.
W You might have asked if he knew that "the wife" worked at the CIA.
W Timeline, on July 8 you talked to Armi, then July 9, you talked to Rove, and also on July 9 you talked to Libby.
RN I'm not positive about the Rove conversation, I'm not positive about whether it was 8th or 9th.
W Back to Novak's column