Posted on 02/11/2005 10:30:42 AM PST by seamus
Washington, DC - Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (NY-28), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Rules, and Rep. John Conyers (MI-14), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, called on Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to investigate the leaking of a classified Central Intelligence Agency memo containing the identity of undercover agent Valerie Plame to a man at the center of the White House Press Briefing Room scandal, "Jeff Gannon."
Rep. Slaughter, a long-time advocate for media reform and accountability, brought this story into the national spotlight days ago when she wrote President Bush asking for an investigation into the issue.
"This matter is growing more serious by the day. We now know that 'Jeff Gannon' had access to classified CIA documents that contained the identity of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. This is more than an issue of media manipulation by the White House... this is now an issue of national security," said Rep. Slaughter. "What is the White House hiding? This man, Mr. Gannon, should never have been admitted into the White House briefing room in the first place. Someone let him in day after day. Someone gave him access to classified CIA documents. Someone must answer for this. It is critical that we uncover the exact nature of the relationship between Gannon and this White House," added Slaughter."
In addition, Reps. Slaughter and Conyers wrote W. Ralph Basham, Director of the Secret Service, calling on his office to provide details on the security clearance of day pass holders in the White House briefing room as well as any and all information they can provide on Mr. Gannon.
"White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan was unable to answer these important questions in yesterday's briefing so we hope the Secret Service will be able to fill in the blanks," said Slaughter. "Since the White House has denied any role or responsibility in this matter I hope the Secret Service can shed some light on their procedures for clearing day pass holders to the White House briefing room," continued Slaughter.
The letters follow:
February 10, 2005
Mr. Patrick J. Fitzgerald
United States Attorney
US Attorney's Office
219 S. Dearborn Street, Suite 5000
Chicago, IL 60656
Dear Mr. Fitzgerald:
We write to ask that you investigate the leak of a classified Central Intelligence Agency memo containing the identity of undercover agent Valerie Plame to James D. Guckert, a member of the White House press corps. It appears that the White House was so focused on smearing the reputation of Ambassador Joseph Wilson, that it knowingly leaked his wife's identity to a Republican activist posing as a journalist.
James D. Guckert, who operated under the false name "Jeff Gannon," and may have engaged in criminal activity, had been attending press events at the White House for up to three years. Mr. Guckert reportedly received an internal and classified CIA memo that revealed the identity of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife. Because of the extremely sensitive nature of this leak, and its relation to the investigation you are conducting, we believe that you as special counsel are the most appropriate person to conduct the inquiry.
Under Department of Justice regulations, a special counsel should investigate when (1) a "criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted," (2) the investigation "by a United States Attorney Office or litigating Division of the Department of Justice would present a conflict of interest for the Department," and (3) "it would be in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to assume responsibility for the matter."1 In the present case all three factors have been met.
As has been long discussed, revealing the identity of an undercover agent violates myriad laws. Whoever in the Administration gave Mr. Guckert the memo risked Ms. Plame's very life and must be punished to the full extent of the law.
There is a clear conflict of interest in the Administration investigating Mr. Guckert's role in this crime. Mr. Guckert and the White House press operation work together closely to forward the President's policies.
First, Mr. Guckert would not be considered a bona fide journalist by his peers in the press corps, as most of his claims to legitimacy have already been discredited. Access to the President and his press corps is highly competitive, and many seasoned journalists have not had the honor of attending the events or enjoying the access Mr. Guckert has. That a person of these dubious qualifications was given such close contact to the President, perhaps in violation of standard security procedures, demonstrates the Administration's affinity for and bias towards Mr. Guckert.
Second, Mr. Guckert's questions clearly reiterated the White House's policy, and simply asked for concurrence. Finally, Mr. Guckert's "articles," published by a news front for GOPUSA, track White House talking points word for word.
Clearly, Mr. Guckert returned the White House's favor by advancing the President's policies with gusto. With such a close relationship between Mr. Guckert and the White House, the conflict of an administration-led investigation is all too apparent.
Finally, the public interest has been thwarted far too long over the leak of Ms. Plame's identity. It has been over a year and a half since Robert Novak published Plame's identity and we are no closer to finding who in the Administration illegally leaked her status as an undercover agent. Having a special counsel immediately follow up this lead is necessary to ensure that those who risk their lives for our country to gather intelligence are fully protected.
We look forward to hearing whether you will be following up on this new information, or if you have, what progress you have made.
Sincerely,
Louise Slaughter
John Conyers, Jr.
Odd behavior for a clandestine spy.
Awesome link and in chronologic order. Thank YOU.
Thanks---I had been meaning to find that article again as I rebuild my bookmarks. It's filed.
Yes, it's more proof she was not undercover.
I'll add here that I was just reading the other day about fellow agents that worked with her and used to be covert, too. They were testifying to some dem group about the unfairness of it all (the ostensible "leaking of her name").
It hit me that if they can talk openly about their former covert status and if Plame--as all evidence suggests--had not been covert for years and years, then it proves my point that it was determined early on she was not covert, no crime was committed along that line and the grand jury is looking at the story but from another viewpoint.
BTW, Wilson said at one point, when asked about the evidence that his wife recommended him for the trip--and this was fairly recently, so he is alleging she was covert at the time---he claimed she would not have recommended him because they had small children and she wouldn't want him to leave her alone. I thought "What?! Jane Bond was afraid of her husband leaving for a few days?" What rot. The usual dem "logic". They want it both ways...she's a covert agent, but yet a young mother of two wee babes who can't have her husband leaving for days so she would not have recommended him. Of course he says he did go despite her concern because his country comes first (right).
There sure was A LOT going on in Summer of 2003, wasn't there? I thank you all for including me in your pings. Puzzle piece here, puzzle piece there.
The daily KOS people have been working on this angle for some time. They have been after Gannon since they found out that he had been subpoenaed by the Special Council in regard to the Plame case. They don't know why, but they figure that Eberle, Gannon's boss is an acquaintance of Karl Rove and arranged the contact between Rove and Gannon and that it's possible that Rove told Gannon that the reason that Wilson was picked was because his wife, who is a CIA agent, recommended him. Anyway, it's basicly a fishing expedition and probably designed to move the investigation forward beyond the NYT and Time reporters who lost the court case on secret sources.
I have noted that in addition to wanting information from her about a "specified government official" and what she was told about Plame between July 6 and July 13, the grand jury also wanted to know what she was told about "Iraqi efforts to obtain uranium".
Well, this strikes me as broader than the simple issue of looking into the leaking of a covert agent's name (which I long ago rejected as the focus of this grand jury).
Well, I just re-read the first part and after the court re-hashes Matt Cooper's subpoena from a last summer (they recite how he refused, was held in contempt and finally did give testimony about a "specific source" who we all know was Scooter Libby and Cooper admitted Libby had NOT discussed Plame with him) the court then describes the next subpoena. Again, the grand jury appears to be looking farther afield than a simple investigation of whether Plame was covert and if so who leaked her name. This subpoena is for everything related to what Cooper was told about Wilson, his trip to Niger in 2002, in addition to anything to do with his wife.
Now I ask, is it me? Why would the grand jury be looking at the trip itself and what stories were being told about Iraq and uranium if they aren't conducting a different investigation than conventional wisdom holds?
Well, reading judicial writings makes my head spin, but I scrolled down and toward the end one of the judges is going on about Plame's covert status and "the leak" about it.
May 2003 meeting??
Fishing??
Rockefeller memo??
Me too.
No; it is not you -- it is grander than simply looking at item "a".
I reviewed some of Judith Miller's (authored) books as soon as I'd read about the subpoenas; as an authoress she comes across as a nice woman. I know Mr. Safire went ballistic. It was in a way unusual for Safire.
OTOH, I think of the Slaughter/Conyer petition in re Jeff Gannon; it just looks so silly.
Cyncooper? If you read anymore on this, could you ping me, pls? I'll remember to do likewise.
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