Was Scooter the Leaker? [Plame CIA leak]

The Washington Post ^ | 4/29/04 | Richard Leiby "reliable source"

[Carolinamom]

Thanks. Was there any report, written or otherwise, at all?

[cyncooper]

Wilson himself said he did not file a written report:

What I Didn't Find in Africa

Excerpt:

Though I did not file a written report,...

~snip~

[Grampa Dave]

Wilson sounds like his old buddy, al Querry with these comments:

Wilson himself said he did not file a written report:

What I Didn't Find in Africa

Excerpt:

Though I did not file a written report,...

[cyncooper]

He evidently gave an oral accounting of sipping tea and being assured there was no uranium buying afoot, and now represents this as the definitive end all and be all of the matter!

As George Tenet described it (see link at #33), it was quite a bit less and unreliable, to boot:

There was fragmentary intelligence gathered in late 2001 and early 2002 on the allegations of Saddam's efforts to obtain additional raw uranium from Africa, beyond the 550 metric tons already in Iraq. In an effort to inquire about certain reports involving Niger, CIA's counter-proliferation experts, on their own initiative, asked an individual with ties to the region to make a visit to see what he could learn. He reported back to us that one of the former Nigerien (sic) officials he met stated that he was unaware of any contract being signed between Niger and rogue states for the sale of uranium during his tenure in office. The same former official also said that in June 1999 a businessman approached him and insisted that the former official meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss "expanding commercial relations" between Iraq and Niger. The former official interpreted the overture as an attempt to discuss uranium sales. The former officials also offered details regarding Niger's processes for monitoring and transporting uranium that suggested it would be very unlikely that material could be illicitly diverted. There was no mention in the report of forged documents -- or any suggestion of the existence of documents at all.

Because this report, in our view, did not resolve whether Iraq was or was not seeking uranium from abroad, it was given a normal and wide distribution, but we did not brief it to the President, Vice-President or other senior Administration officials. We also had to consider that the former Nigerien officials knew that what they were saying would reach the U.S. government and that this might have influenced what they said.

In the fall of 2002, my Deputy and I briefed hundreds of members of Congress on Iraq. We did not brief the uranium acquisition story.

~snip~

I recall Jack Straw defending British intelligence and noting what is stated above: That even Wilson speaks of an overture in 1999 that he interpreted as an attempt to procure uranium!

[Shermy]

And why does Andrea Mitchell have sensitive documents?

Joseph Wilson, Niger, Uranium and Bush’s Famous Sixteen Words: Evolution of a Confused Story

[AmishDude]

This paranoid freak makes up names out of whole cloth and people just print it. Well, WaPost, print this name for the Plame leaker: Richard Clarke.

[cyncooper]

I bookmarked that excellent thread.

What do you think of my analysis at #60?

[Shermy]

It's very good. The BBC leak is a story in itself.

And Wilson's previous wife has an interesting background too..."cultural counselor" (ahem) for the French embassy in Burundi, later lobbyist for Gabon, etc.

[Carolinamom]

Wilson is neither a good detective nor a competent envoy IMO. Thanks for all the info.

[shamusotoole]

My recolloection is that the pertinent Federal Statute governing the "Outing" of covert agents has a test built into the wording which defines "covert agent". It defines such a person as someone who has had a covert assignment outside the US within the past five years.

You have been keeping close track. Do we know that Valerie Plame falls within this threshold, or is this much ado about nothing?

[NJ_gent]

"My recolloection is that the pertinent Federal Statute governing the "Outing" of covert agents has a test built into the wording which defines "covert agent". It defines such a person as someone who has had a covert assignment outside the US within the past five years. You have been keeping close track. Do we know that Valerie Plame falls within this threshold, or is this much ado about nothing?"

Well you could always go on down to Langley and bang on the doors to CIA HQ demanding to review a list of all their covert missions from the past five years. I imagine you'd get an immediate response (though perhaps not the one you're looking for), and would have lots and lots of quality time to speak with a number of friendly folks who work for the agency.

[cyncooper]

You have been keeping close track. Do we know that Valerie Plame falls within this threshold, or is this much ado about nothing?

I have never heard it definitively stated, but there has been *speculation* that since they now have very young children that she would have been removed from that role around the time of having them--if she was indeed ever in that position.

As I write at post #60, I explain that I a) don't believe there was any administration leak--especially with the intent to harm the Wilsons, and b) she should be investigated to see if she or her colleagues were anonymous sources for the media disseminating a false portrayal of Wilson's "findings" and their importance.

I contend that whatever her role in the CIA, I suspect she was not out to serve the best interests of this country.

[cyncooper]

The leak was about Plame's status as a "CIA operative," not about his Niger trip.

I know.

As I point out, since the WH wasn't privy to Wilson's jaunt, they can hardly know who sent him on it.

Further, Novak has explicitly stated (though obviously it's ignored) that his sources were not from the WH.

I said the Wilsons *and their allies* were behind the leaks. Cliff May with NRO said as much. He said it was told to him by a democrat in response to his "why was Joe Wilson of all people sent on this trip?". The dem explained that Joe's wife is CIA, and May said it was said in a way as if "See? They're patriots first, partisans second".

Which is laughable as we can plainly see.

[cyncooper]

I inadvertantly added an "s".

The so-called "leak".

[cyncooper]

After re-reading Novak's original column and his follow-up, I think it possible that one source (one of the "senior administration officials") for Plame's role in sending Wilson was Tenet himself. The original "long conversation" that Novak wrote of having that led innocuously to the revelation, as Novak characterizes it.

I do not think, as I've always stressed, that it was done in any way to mar the reputations or motivations of the Wilsons, but rather by way of explanation for the otherwise inexplicable.

The reason I have deduced this is the wording, especially in the October column, about the counter-terrorism group sending Wilson on their own initiative. Both columns point out Tenet was not informed of the impending trip. Then read Tenet's own statement stating the same.

I do think the sub-group that Plame moved in (including Foley) engaged in anti-administration machinations, including sending Wilson on the trip and the subsequent leaks about it that completely misrepresented it.

Link to original July Novak column, which also contains a hyper-link to the October follow-up:

Mission to Niger

[cyncooper]

I posted about the "CIA official" leaking to the BBC.

I linked to the article and posted excerpts quoting this "official" who presented Wilson's version (which is a false version) to the BBC.

[cyncooper]

The forged document was not determined to be so until 2003.