A founding Principal of The Scowcroft Group, Walter Kansteiner has over twenty years experience with African and emerging market business issues. Mr. Kansteiner has advised corporations on a wide range of mergers, acquisitions, and privatizations throughout Africa. Transactions that he has been involved with include telecommunications, forestry, mining, financial services, healthcare, and aviation services. Mr. Kansteiner advised the buy side on the $1.3 billion privatization of Telkom South Africa, to date the largest privatization in Africa.
Mr. Kansteiner rejoined the firm after serving two years as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. In this capacity, he was responsible for U.S. foreign policy in Africa. He was also the President’s personal representative to the G8 Africa Process. Prior to his initial affiliation with The Scowcroft Group, Mr. Kansteiner was Executive Vice President of a commodity trading and processing company, which specialized in tropical commodities (coffee, cocoa, and sugar). In addition to his business experience in emerging markets, Mr. Kansteiner served in the U.S. government as the Director of African Affairs on the National Security Council staff. He also served as the Africa specialist on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, and with the Department of Defense as a member of the strategic minerals task force. He holds graduate degrees in international economics and ethics from American University and Virginia Theological Seminary, respectively. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, chairs the Africa Policy Advisory Panel (a congressionally mandated advisory group), and serves on various boards in the U.S. and Africa.
Yesterday, a senior administration official said that before Novak's column ran, two top White House officials called at least six Washington journalists and disclosed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife. Wilson had just revealed that the CIA had sent him to Niger last year to look into the uranium claim and that he had found no evidence to back up the charge. Wilson's account touched off a political fracas over Bush's use of intelligence as he made the case for attacking Iraq.
"Clearly, it was meant purely and simply for revenge," the senior official said of the alleged leak.
Sources familiar with the conversations said the leakers were seeking to undercut Wilson's credibility. They alleged that Wilson, who was not a CIA employee, was selected for the Niger mission partly because his wife had recommended him. Wilson said in an interview yesterday that a reporter had told him that the leaker said, "The real issue is Wilson and his wife."
A source said reporters quoted a leaker as describing Wilson's wife as "fair game."
The official would not name the leakers for the record and would not name the journalists. The official said there was no indication that Bush knew about the calls.
It is rare for one Bush administration official to turn on another. Asked about the motive for describing the leaks, the senior official said the leaks were "wrong and a huge miscalculation, because they were irrelevant and did nothing to diminish Wilson's credibility."
The alleged senior official and other sources cited above made statements implying they had direct knowledge of the leakers' identities and motive. If these statements were false as now appears to be likely, were the sources of these statements covering up for the actual leaker, and if so what is their relation to the actual leaker?