Posted on 07/03/2005 2:57:08 AM PDT by bookworm100
...Rove is identified in Cooper's notes from that time period, which Time turned over Friday to special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald -- under court order. Fitzgerald is investigating whether senior administration officials leaked CIA operative Valerie Plame's name to reporters in July 2003 as retaliation after her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, publicly accused the Bush administration of twisting intelligence to justify a war with Iraq...
Plame's name first appeared in Robert D. Novak's syndicated column in July 2003, eight days after Wilson's opinion piece critical of the Bush administration appeared in the Times. Wilson was sent by the CIA in 2002 to investigate allegations that Iraq had sought to buy uranium in the African nation of Niger, and he reported that he found no proof. His opinion piece accused the administration of twisting intelligence to justify going to war with Iraq
After the Novak column, Wilson said the White House had damaged his wife's career and had put all her contacts in jeopardy. He initially accused Rove of being behind the leak, then retracted that statement. It is a felony to knowingly identify a covert operative.
Rove answered questions under oath for about two hours before a grand jury on Oct. 15 as part of the special prosecutor's investigation. According to Luskin, the prosecutor said he believes Rove was candid and forthcoming about his contact with reporters...
Cooper and New York Times reporter Judith Miller face four months in jail as early as Wednesday for defying Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan's order to cooperate with Fitzgerald's investigation. The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear the reporters' appeals of Hogan's order.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
This is the biggest non-story of year. Yawwwwn, nobody cares except the press and the leftist rats. Even if Rove did blurt her name -- they got nothing.
I still think the leak was from a democrat. Given the degree of protection and publicity, it's the only thing that makes sense.
I just knew Lawrence O'D was a "Dirty Liar"!
I agree.
They think Rove is the brains behind GW's two Presidential elections, so they have to discredit him. Destroy him so he can't make a living in politics. This is right out of the Liberal play manual, and every time republicans cave in to these tactics, it increases the likelihood someone else will be targeted. Positive reinforcement works with dogs, too.
The 100% established fact that Wilson was a liar and/or incompetent miraculously goes unmentioned by the Washington Post. Since the discrediting of Wilson's information doesn't bear directly on this (non-)story, the false information is reported as true. Amazing.
It is a felony to knowingly identify a covert operative. -Leonnig
More tendentious reporting. The potential harm must be very high, a standard I think is ridiculous, but it is the law. Highly doubtful that Plame's outing meets the standard. But the (non-)story loses its (anti-Bush) punch if you acknowledge that.
Where was all this hysteria when Sandy Berger was stealing classified docs that undoubtedly incriminated the Clinton administration?
Your synopsis is not congruent with the events. The courts are forcing information to be handed over - if it had been anyone but a Republican, erso Rove, the secret would have remained buried as deep as Deep Throat.
It must choke the WaPo to have to write this....
I'm not sure, but I don't think President Bush can run again. The dummies are treating every situation as if Pres. Bush is going to run against their candidate! Somebody please tell them this is his last term.
First President Bush appointed the special prosecutor.
Second NOVAK is the reporter who actually reported Plumes name has not been charged with contempt for not revealing his sources... That screamed that NOVAK DID REVEAL HIS SOURCES to the special prosecutor
Three.. The leaker lied to the Special Prosecutor. The leaker denied he leaked the info. Lying to a federal prosecutor is a felony.. Ask Martha Stewart how that works. The leaker is in a heap of trouble.
The Special prosecutor wants the notes of the New York Times and Time magazine reporters.
That says to me the Special prosecutor is going to indict the leaker. He needs the documentation to prove that the leaker in fact leaked and then committed perjury. The will put the reporters in jail if they do not come clean and testify. The news corporations giving up notes and the reporters tesfifying are two separate issues. It is very dangerous for a corporation to refuse to supply documents ordered turned over by a court. This is not just a reporter issue. It is a news organization issue.
The punishment a corporation gets for defying a court order is a lot more damaging than the punishment handed out to a reporter.
The leftist media demanded that a special prosecutor be appointed. The loudest voice demanding a special prosecutor was the New York Times. The times knew who the leaker was... But must have felt that the Special Prosecutor would do what others have done.. and try to take down the administration. They thought they would get a Ken Starr who would make a stink that would embarrass the administration.
But the special prosecutor is most likely going to destroy the leaker's career by turning him or her into a convicted felon.
That will prove that the media can't protect leaker's and that leaker's can become convicted felons if they leak and do not confess.
This reality is a disaster for the media and they are trying to make the President and Karl Rove pay for making it very dangerous for leakers to trust the media. And impossible for the media to refuse to hand over information the media organization has in its possession.
This special prosecutor is going after both the reporters and the corporations for whom they work.
Calling Lawrence O'D a "Dirty Liar" is being unfair and demeaning to all Dirty Liars. If he spent the next 10 years apologizing to the SBVFT, he might be elevated to the position of "Dirty Liar". JMHO.
I would usually agree, but this is a little different in the dynamics. The Dims made such a ruckus over this as an opportunity to hurt Bush, that the MSM was only too happy to spread it far and wide. It eventually hit the Federal Courts and then got a life of its own. I believe there is a good possibility that the Dims have inadvertantly put themselves in an awkward place. If it had been a republican, especially someone close to Bush, I think it would have leaked out early on and the case would be moot. The fact that it is taking so long to come to light seems to indicate it was a Dim who did it.
Big deal that Rove's name was within Cooper's notes ..
I'm sure there were alot of names in Cooper's notes and papers
Cooper is a ultra Lib and he would not put his life on the line and face jail time for Karl Rove
"-- I'm not sure, but I don't think President Bush can run again. --"
Ah, but you forgot. According to the DUMmies, hes was "selected, not elected" once, so maybe he SHOULD run for another term....
Lawrence O'Donnell is truly insane.
Great Post.
I think I missed the distinction between a reporter revealing a covert identity by publishing it (usually not punishable unless great damage is done) and an official leaking classified information.
Undue praise of Deep Throat notwithstanding, leaking is a serious crime. And despite the proper role of the press to shed light on government, it must adhere to the rule of law as well, in this case carrying out direct court orders to cooperate with an investigation into above-mentioned crime. Special protections for the press would lead to bizarre immunities.
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