NBC's and Kerry's "softball pitcher" for Democrats, Russert:
"This tree told me about Palme and Wilson. OK?"
Posted on 08/09/2004 12:37:45 PM PDT by cyncooper
Time Magazine's Cooper Threatened with Jail for Not Revealing Source
A reporter is being held in contempt of court and faces possible jail time, and another was earlier threatened by a federal judge with the same fate, after they refused to answer questions from a special prosecutor investigating whether administration officials illegally disclosed the name of a covert CIA officer last year.
Newly-released court orders show U.S. District Court Chief Judge Thomas F. Hogan two weeks ago ordered Matt Cooper of Time magazine and Tim Russert of NBC to appear before a grand jury and tell whether they knew that White House sources provided the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame to the media.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Hmmm.
You're right, each is probably hoping the other will crack first and spill his journalistic guts. But it won't do them any good to wait now, they've already gone too far. They will EACH have to testify now, and hopefully they will both confirm the same source. Anyway you look at it, this is getting really interesting. I also agree with other posters who think it isn't a Bush WH source or they would have spilled it long ago. I would love to hear the phone chatter between these two reporters as they "get their story straight".
The judge did order Cooper to jail on 8/6 but he posted bond. The judge has ordered TIME to pay $1000 per day that he refuses to appear.
Then there's this:
Sources close to the investigation said they believe Russert was not held in contempt Aug. 6 because he agreed to answer the questions after Hogan's July 20 ruling.
it's also a conflict of interests for Russert at this point - they've not had a week to cover an incredible story given the recent revelations re Wilson and the fact MTP had Wilson on twice, obviously he can't have him on anymore because of the serious legal implications (jail) but they should have somebody like Pete Williams take over for one week to get Wilson back on (as he appeared with Wolfie a couple weeks back)
Good catch - that is probably the case. Typically journalists will hold out to that point and then no more, having proven their metal and what not. Those who continue to obstruct such an inquiry, such as Mandy Grundwald's husband, are typically doing so because they are fearful of incriminating themselves or those they are actively colluding with.
Don't forget the SamBurglar!
Free Tim Free Martha Free SamBurglar Free Tim Free Martha Free SamBurglar Free Tim Free Martha!
Given this guys alliances, I'd almost have to say he's not taking this risk to protect anyone in the Bush administration. My guess is, he's protecting either another Democrat, or the Wilsons themselves.
Plame was a little nobody clerk in the office at CIA headquarters. This is a tempest in a thimble-period.
I don't know Cooper, but I am familiar with Russert and no one is going to make me believe that Russert is willing to do jail time to protect the source of an alleged leak from someone in the Bush administration-unless of course, the source was one of those too damn many left over slimes from the Clinton Administration.
We are fighting a war for the survival of America and the free world, and idiots of the extreme left, treat this bull shit as the number one priority that America is facing. When will the left reach puberty-never?
I am assuming that the leaks to Russert and Cooper were not from the same person who leaked to Novak. The latter was clearly someone in the Bush administration, but the former probably was not; it may have been someone in the Wilson camp, perhaps with the motive of assuring these sympathetic journalists that Plame was indeed CIA and that they could therefore go forward with the "Bush outed Plame to punish Wilson" spin.
"Transvesite?"
Which of them are you referring to?
To complete my thought: it would be professionally damaging to Russert and Cooper if the leak came to them from the Wilson camp, since Wilson was the one who was bitterly complaining about the leaks. Moreover, it would reveal that Russert and Cooper were engaging in a partisan manner by being in cahoots with a man whose stated objective was to bring down the president. Above all, it would reveal a basic dishonesty in their having cast aspersions on the administration at the very time they knew some of the leaks were coming from the administration's avowed opponents.
Some additional details:
Judge Upholds Media Subpoenas in CIA Leak Case
Reuters:
The subpoenas, issued by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, require that Russert and Cooper appear before a federal grand jury to testify about conversations with an unidentified government official who was a confidential source.
~snip~
In an order on Monday, Hogan said Cooper and Time at a hearing on Friday refused to comply with the subpoena despite his ruling and he held them in civil contempt of court. The ruling was dated July 20, but released on Monday.
The reporter was ordered "confined at a suitable place" and Time was fined $1,000 a day until they complied. The judge did not specify where Cooper would be confined.
Hogan stayed Time's fine and granted Cooper bail while they appeal the contempt finding to the U.S. appeals court. He said the appeals presented "substantial legal questions."
~snip~
"The information requested from Mr. Cooper and Mr. Russert is very limited, all available alternative means of obtaining the information have been exhausted, the testimony sought is necessary for the completion of the investigation and the testimony sought is expected to constitute direct evidence of innocence or guilt," Hogan wrote.
~snip~
More from another source:
Reporters Ordered to Testify Over CIA Leak
AP via KansasCity.com
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago wants Russert and Cooper to testify "regarding alleged conversations they had with a specified executive branch official," wrote U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan of Chicago. The official he referred to was not further identified in court papers.
~snip~
Well, that identification of "a specified executive branch official" along with the notation that this testimony is expected to be "direct evidence of innocence or guilt" is extremely intriguing.
I think there ought to be a "family tree" to show how all the reporters/pundits/anchors are all related to one another.
When did Richard Clarke leave the administration?
I'm praying that your theories are right, cyn.
And I am SO glad that President Bush didn't have a problem with testifying. Makes the rest of them look silly.
I believe the end of January 2003.
NBC's and Kerry's "softball pitcher" for Democrats, Russert:
"This tree told me about Palme and Wilson. OK?"
Just great!
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