Posted on 07/12/2005 5:23:40 AM PDT by Fierce Allegiance
(CNSNews.com) -- Democrats think they've found a way to get rid of President Bush's political adviser Karl Rove, who has long been a favorite target of liberal wrath.
"Karl Rove and his high priced lawyers might disagree, but the truth is Rove betrayed the identity of an undercover officer fighting on the front lines in the war on terror. These actions are particularly egregious in a time of war," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean in a statement released Monday evening.
Dean said President Bush should demonstrate his commitment to the war on terror by holding Rove "accountable."
"It is disturbing that this high-ranking Bush adviser is not only still working in the White House, but now has a significant role in setting our National Security policy," Dean said.
Rove, who serves as deputy White House chief of staff, mentioned a CIA agent in passing, during a July 2003 conversation with Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper.
But Rove's lawyer now tells the Washington Post that Rove did not identify the agent by name and had no intention of "outing" her. (It is illegal to deliberately expose a covert agent whose identity the government is trying to conceal.)
Valerie Plame, the secret agent in question, is the wife of Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a man who publicly challenged the Bush administration's claim that Iraq was trying to buy uranium from Niger. Wilson accused the Bush administration of "outing" his wife as retaliation for his criticism.
'Wilson's wife'
Rove reportedly told Cooper that it was "Wilson' wife, who apparently works at the agency" -- who had arranged Wilson's trip to Niger.
A few days later, columnist Robert Novak named Valerie Plame as a CIA operative in a July 2003 column. It was Novak's column that prompted a grand jury investigation into the White House leak.
It's not clear if Rove was also Novak's source. It's also not clear if Rove is a target of the ongoing grand jury investigation
This week, Rove's lawyer told the Washington Post that Rove did not know the name of Wilson's wife when he spoke with Cooper, and he did not mention Wilson's wife to make her identity public. Rove mentioned "Wilson's wife" only to let Cooper know that no one in the Bush administration had sent Wilson to Niger -- and that Time shouldn't believe everything it was hearing from Wilson.
On the other hand, Democrats don't believe anything they're hearing from Rove.
They say his conversation with Time magazine's Cooper "raises a host of new unanswered questions," including:
-- Who told Rove about Wilson's wife? "Rove had to find out about Plame and her job from someone. Where did this information come from? Who else leaked besides Rove?" the DNC is asking.
-- Who in the Bush administration told New York Times reporter Judith Miller about Plame? "The information cannot have come from Rove, since Rove has 'released' Cooper from confidentiality," the DNC said. " If Rove were Miller's source, wouldn't he do the same for her? So who was Miller -- a reporter working on WMDs -- talking to?" (Miller is now serving time in jail for refusing to reveal her confidential source.)
-- Why did Rove previously deny his involvement in the Plame controversy? The DNC noted that in August 2004, Rove told reporters he didn't know Plame's name in July 2003 and did not leak her name.
But the DNC isn't buying that: "Since Wilson obviously had only one wife and everyone knew who it was, Rove unquestionably did identify Plame."
The DNC also is angry with White House Press Secretary Scott McClellen.
In October 2003, McClellan was asked at a White House briefing, "Scott, earlier this week you told us that neither Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams nor Lewis Libby disclosed any classified information with regard to the [Valerie Plame] leak. I wondered if you could tell us more specifically whether any of them told any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA?"
McClellan responded: "Those individuals -- I talked, I spoke with those individuals, as I pointed out, and those individuals assured me they were not involved in this. And that's where it stands."
"Did Rove commit perjury in front of the grand jury?" the DNC is now asking. "We know his initial public statements and his statements to Scott McClellan were false. And we know that after testifying once, they (the grand jury) called him back. Did Rove change his answers to the grand jury the same way he changed his answers to the press?"
Suspend Rove's security clearance
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a group with ties to Democrats, has sent a letter to President Bush, asking him to immediately suspend Karl Rove's security clearance, pending the outcome of the federal investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame's name.
"The evidence uncovered so far raises serious questions about Mr. Rove's conduct and his ability to safeguard highly sensitive classified information," Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said in a press release.
"Until those questions are resolved, CREW believes it is not appropriate for Mr. Rove to have continued access to classified information. Anything short of suspension raises an unacceptable risk to our nation's security," Sloan wrote to Bush.
The White House is not commenting on the allegations involving Rove, citing the ongoing grand jury investigation.
President Bush previously said he would deal with anyone in his administration who leaked sensitive information.
"If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action," Bush said on Sept. 30, 2003. He called the investigation into the leak, launched that same day, "a good thing."
The White House is not likely to do anything or say anything more until that federal investigation is complete, but Democrats and liberal interest groups -- furious at the Bush administration for a number of reasons -- are not expected to let the matter rest.
Listing her new role without mentioning her old is not illegal. In fact, mentioning her old role isn't necessarily illegal if she is no longer going to be used in the that capacity.
The following is from the CIA's own website:
Mr. Goss was a U.S. Army Intelligence officer from 1960 to 1962. He served as a clandestine service officer with the Central Intelligence Agency from 1962 until 1972, when an illness contracted on duty forced him to retire. While in the CIA's Directorate of Operations, he completed assignments in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
It's about their own director. Should they be charged with "outing" him in in official bio?
I would like to see Rove resign, so that he can serve on the US Supreme Court.
Believe me, if either of them thought it would be best, Rove would be gone in half a second. After all, he's a campaign adviser, I would have figured he would have been gone early in 2005, working for campaigns.
Trust me, Bush sees things in the long term.
-- Who in the Bush administration told New York Times reporter Judith Miller about Plame? "The information cannot have come from Rove, since Rove has 'released' Cooper from confidentiality," the DNC said. " If Rove were Miller's source, wouldn't he do the same for her? So who was Miller -- a reporter working on WMDs -- talking to?" (Miller is now serving time in jail for refusing to reveal her confidential source.)
This seems to be the key to all of this. If the source was not Rove, it is not likely that it was anyone else in the White House. Novak referred to "Administration Officials", not specifically "White House sources", so it does beg the question, why is Miller willing to go to jail to protect her source? I doubt that it is on principle.
Wow, that sure would light a sh!tstorm with the dems!
Of course Rove was discrediting Wilson's trip. That was the whole point and also the reason for wanting anonymity. Wilson went to Niger, drank tea in the capital city for a week, and then came home and filed a report saying Saddam had not sought to buy uranium from Niger.
His report was bogus, and that was Rove's point....to discredit the report. Part of the discrediting was that Wilson had not gone over at the behest of the administration -- he had gone over 'cause his wife had gotten my travel tickets.
Of course Rove was discrediting Wilson's trip. That was the whole point and also the reason for wanting anonymity. Wilson went to Niger, drank tea in the capital city for a week, and then came home and filed a report saying Saddam had not sought to buy uranium from Niger.
His report was bogus, and that was Rove's point....to discredit the report. Part of the discrediting was that Wilson had not gone over at the behest of the administration -- he had gone over 'cause his wife had gotten HIM travel tickets.
When did this happen and how does he know? He's stating fact that Rove is guilty where none has been proven or even charged........sounds like libel to me.......
I don't think she was a current operative, but her covert status was still secret and can remain so for many years. This is to protect her contacts and others who may still be in the field. This issue still is who revealed her covert status. Who ever it was, is guity of the crime.
Stating that someone works at the CIA is not a crime. Janitors and typing clerks work there, too. Revealing the identity of a covert operator is a crime. Ms. Plame was not in a covert capacity at the time......
> a healthy amount of skepticism is in order.
Hear hear. Although, I wish Scott had been more forthcoming yesterday. You and I and everyone who has a head on their shoulders knows this is more Demonrat dust kicking up, but not coming out and restating what had been said before (leaker should be fired) makes the President look bad. Not a smart move, IMHO. I would have just said, "the President sticks by his statements". And THEN cut the MSM slobberers off.
When Karl is cleared this will blow over.
Plame was "outed" in 1994 to the Russians by Aldrich Ames, that is why she was reassigned to desk duties in DC as an analyst, she was not covert.
I know that during the time this was hot a few years back, that many reports said that Wilson himself had outed her covert role on a number of occasions at a variety of public gatherings.
You have nailed it perfectly! ...my thoughts exactly.
And the Old Media is strangely quiet as to questioning her source since hers must be different if she is in jail.
I think Rove may have know that, and by mentioning her role in the Niger trip ... started the ball rolling where reporters started to look at her. Then, somone else revealed her status... it is that person who I think is in deep.
---"Plame was "outed" in 1994 to the Russians by Aldrich Ames, that is why she was reassigned to desk duties in DC as an analyst, she was not covert."---
Do you have a source for that information?
Fitzgerald has even said that Rove is not a target in this investigation.
There is an interesting post here which describes the circumstances under which Cooper received his 'release'. Basically, Rove's lawyer told the press that if Cooper is going to jail it isn't to protect Rove. Since Cooper thought he WAS going to jail to protect Rove, that caused Cooper to contact the lawyer who gave him the OK.
The request for release was initiated by Cooper, not Rove. Thus, the fact that Rove released Cooper does not mean that Miller's source is not also Rove.
Just another sewer backup on the dimwits.
No clues. No integrity. No future.
It gets worse by the moment.
Where was O'Neil when all this was going on?
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