Posted on 07/10/2005 9:12:14 PM PDT by bitt
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top White House advisor Karl Rove was one of the secret sources that spoke to reporters about a covert CIA operative whose identity was leaked to the media, Newsweek magazine reported in its latest edition.
The magazine said Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, confirmed that Rove talked to Time magazine about former ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife, CIA agent Valerie Plame.
Luskin said Rove recently gave Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper permission to testify about the conversation to a grand jury investigating the leak in 2003, according to Newsweek.
A U.S. federal judge ordered Cooper, along with New York Times reporter Judith Miller, to testify and reveal their confidential sources.
Last week Cooper avoided a jail sentence for contempt of court by agreeing to testify in the case. Miller refused to testify and was jailed.
The case has become an important test involving freedom of the press and has pitting the media's traditional use of anonymous sources against the efforts of a federal government prosecutor to investigate a possible crime.
It is illegal to knowingly reveal the identity of an undercover CIA agent.
Although Rove has made statements about the Plame leak, he has never publicly acknowledged talking to any reporter about the CIA agent.
Rove has carefully chosen his words when questioned about the leak. "I didn't know her name. I didn't leak her name," he told CNN last year when asked if he had had anything to do with it.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Let's say that some identical political flap started at the Agriculture Dept. instead of the CIA. Is there an "ethical" problem there?
What drives me nuts in the first place is the entire issue is over nothing. The CIA knew at the time, even before Wilson was sent, that the "Nigeria Memo" was a fake (forged by the French intelligence BTW designed to be easily identified as fake) and that Bush was not relying on that memo for his famous 18 words in the SOTU speech. Joe Wilson either didn't understand that or he was just playing raw politics in his tell-all "Article".
Plame was not a "covert" agent.
Rove knew that she was a liar and was trying to take down the Administration.
Political payback? Why? How?
Who was endangered? What contacts, leads, or intelligence has been compromised?
Joe Wilson was not correct, and even if he was, it would be quite by accident, since he did absolutely nothing to ascertain the facts . . . unless the yellow cake was in his tea.
You reveal your bias in the rest of your half cocked post.
You sound like all the liberals.
This story is not about "blowing Plames' cover", although that is what the MSM wants you to believe.
She wasn't covert. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Rove was warning the media not to go overboard on the idea that high CIA officials sent Wilson to Niger and the Administration ignored what he told them.
Rove let them know that high CIA officials DID NOT send Wilson, but that he was sent at the recommendation of his own wife, who was a CIA employee working at the WMD desk.
You are ASSUMING that Rove knew she was a covert agent. The prosecutor will have to prove that Rove knew she was a covert agent in order for this to be a crime....if she was even in fact a covert agent.
MANY PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON KNEW SHE WAS A CIA EMPLOYEE. All Rove did was identify her, NOT BY NAME, as working at the CIA's WMD desk.
What is lost in all of this is that Wilson, a supporter of Kerry, basically got his own approval to be sent to Niger.
"Andrea Mitchell was asked, on MSNBC, whether it was generally known to news people, before the hullabaloo, that Ms. Plame worked for the CIA. She answered, somewhat reluctantly, that it was."
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010989.php
Excellent summation.
To me, the two facts that I am waiting for: Rove was one of the "secret sources", so did he actually "out" Plame, or was he simply giving a confirmation that she was an agent, or something else? Why was he a source?
Also, was the CIA actively trying to keep Plame's role in the CIA a secret? It doesn't matter if they failed to keep her secret ass an undercover agent, only that they were taking active measures.
The spin from both sides on this thing is going to make all of our heads explode.
Masticate my posterior.
I have no problem understanding the meaning of "wrong" though you apparently have a huge one. Rove did not do anything wrong EVEN if he were the sole source of the knowledge that Plame was a pencil pusher at Langley. He did nothing "unethical" either since this dippy broad was a publicity hound married to a bigger publicity hound. It was COMMON KNOWLEDGE in Washington circles as to just exactly who she was.
NO ONE cared until the RATmedia thought it had a way of destroying Rove who is destroying the RATs. So they pulled out all stops and using their whole bag of Lies figured they could convince the gullible/Bushwhackers/ignorant that Rove had done something wrong. All you have to do to believe them is ignore the Law, ignore reality and ignore the Special Prosecutor. That apparently is easy for some.
It is unfortunate that you join the enemy and attack those who are struggling to save the nation. It is also unfortunate that you are too obstinate to admit you are flat out wrong about this non-issue. It is, however, hilarious that in order to adopt this stance you have to believe Newsweek.
I just love it when the lefties get the vapors. We KNOW they don't care for covert ops, anyway - they'd prefer all ops come to a screeching (lefties: always screeching!) halt so we can wrap ourselves in a cocoon of organic cotton fluff, toss on some designer rose glasses and ignore the rest of the world.
If lefties had info on our covert ops, they'd be the FIRST ONES to turn that info over to our enemies. THE FIRST.
I've read in various sources that Wilson was a Republican prior to this whole mess - what gives? And as I understand it, he was given his job originally by Bush Sr. GHWB wasn't in the habit of giving full-on Democrats significant jobs, was he?
SW
I thought it was devised by Italian intelligence? Or am I getting my bogus documents mixed up here...?
SW
Still making friends I see.
She was undercover?
As for Newsweek, I didn't know it still exists. Huh.
The Perp was an Italian working for the French spooks.
My thesis: The fact the French whores cooked up a phony document tells me they likely did have one of their mining companies sell Yellowcake to Saddam although it was likely delivered to Qaddafi who was working with Saddam on WMD stuff including nuclear. The forged memo was designed to throw off the scent, but it appears the Brits found the trail anyway which is what Bush cited.
No all CIA employees are "undercover"
Plame was an analyst sitting in D.C.
She hadn't been overseas in over 5 years.
It was apparently common knowledge in
D.C. circles that she worked for the Agency.
It is only illegal IF the leaked name
is of an "undercover agent."
Then good 'ol Uncle Joe Wilson outed his own wife, because 6 months BEFORE Novak wrote his article on July 14, 2003, Joe Wilson's web page at cpsag.com ID'd Valerie Plame as his wife on FEB 8, 2003!
Go do some research, dumba$$! If she was such a secret, WHY ID her? It was well KNOWN that Valerie Plame sent Wilson on his sweet-tea sipping trip to Nigeria! And that Valerie Plame was a CIA employee in the Washington circles they moved in!
LIEberals can NEVER keep any secrets!
I knew you were a liberal.
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