[okie01]

"These new accounts, provided by a current and former administration official close to the situation, directly contradict public statements made by Novak."

Alan Foley?

[cyncooper]

I posted the same name after reading the article but not the replies.

I'll bet it is.

[Shermy]

From the Newsday article:

"We paid his [Wilson's] air fare. But to go to Niger is not exactly a benefit. Most people you'd have to pay big bucks to go there," the senior intelligence official said. Wilson said he was reimbursed only for expenses.""

I said long ago that for most people, not Wilson since he had business there, perhaps the gold mining concession mentioned in the Vanity Fair article.

Since then I've seen comments that one of the leakers said the trip was a " boondoggle ." That would fit with a junket to Niger to ask questions to officials they would never answer truthfully if they were contemplating violatino of UN sanctions.