Lawyer: Cooper “Burned” Karl Rove

NRO ^ | 7/12/05 | Byron York

[Steven W.]

The lawyer for top White House adviser Karl Rove says that Time reporter Matthew Cooper "burned" Rove after a conversation between the two men concerning former ambassador Joseph Wilson's fact-finding mission to Niger and the role Wilson's wife, CIA employee Valerie Plame, played in arranging that trip. Nevertheless, attorney Robert Luskin says Rove long ago gave his permission for all reporters, including Cooper, to tell prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald about their conversations with Rove.

In an interview with National Review Online, Luskin compared the contents of a July 11, 2003, internal Time e-mail written by Cooper with the wording of a story Cooper co-wrote a few days later. "By any definition, he burned Karl Rove," Luskin said of Cooper. "If you read what Karl said to him and read how Cooper characterizes it in the article, he really spins it in a pretty ugly fashion to make it seem like people in the White House were affirmatively reaching out to reporters to try to get them to them to report negative information about Plame."

First the e-mail. According to a report in Newsweek, Cooper's e-mail to Time Washington bureau chief Michael Duffy said, "Spoke to Rove on double super secret background for about two mins before he went on vacation..." Cooper said that Rove had warned him away from getting "too far out on Wilson," and then passed on Rove's statement that neither Vice President Dick Cheney nor CIA Director George Tenet had picked Wilson for the trip; "it was, KR said, wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on wmd issues who authorized the trip." Finally — all of this is according to the Newsweek report — Cooper's e-mail said that "not only the genesis of the trip is flawed an[d] suspect but so is the report. he [Rove] implied strongly that there's still plenty to implicate iraqi interest in acquiring uranium fro[m] Niger..."

A few days after sending the e-mail, Cooper co-wrote an article headlined "A War on Wilson?" that appeared on Time's website. The story began, "Has the Bush administration declared war on a former ambassador who conducted a fact-finding mission to probe possible Iraqi interest in African uranium? Perhaps."

The story continued:

Some government officials have noted to Time in interviews (as well as to syndicated columnist Robert Novak) that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These officials have suggested that she was involved in her husband's being dispatched to Niger to investigate reports that Saddam Hussein's government had sought to purchase large quantities of uranium ore, sometimes referred to as yellow cake, which is used to build nuclear devices.

Plame's role in Wilson's assignment was later confirmed by a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation.

Luskin told NRO that the circumstances of Rove's conversation with Cooper undercut Time's suggestion of a White House "war on Wilson." According to Luskin, Cooper originally called Rove — not the other way around — and said he was working on a story on welfare reform. After some conversation about that issue, Luskin said, Cooper changed the subject to the weapons of mass destruction issue, and that was when the two had the brief talk that became the subject of so much legal wrangling. According to Luskin, the fact that Rove did not call Cooper; that the original purpose of the call, as Cooper told Rove, was welfare reform; that only after Cooper brought the WMD issue up did Rove discuss Wilson — all are "indications that this was not a calculated effort by the White House to get this story out."

"Look at the Cooper e-mail," Luskin continues. "Karl speaks to him on double super secret background...I don't think that you can read that e-mail and conclude that what Karl was trying to do was to get Cooper to publish the name of Wilson's wife."

Nor, says Luskin, was Rove trying to "out" a covert CIA agent or "smear" her husband. "What Karl was trying to do, in a very short conversation initiated by Cooper on another subject, was to warn Time away from publishing things that were going to be established as false." Luskin points out that on the evening of July 11, 2003, just hours after the Rove-Cooper conversation, then-CIA Director George Tenet released a statement that undermined some of Wilson's public assertions about his report. "Karl knew that that [Tenet] statement was in gestation," says Luskin. "I think a fair reading of the e-mail was that he was trying to warn Cooper off from going out on a limb on [Wilson's] allegations."

Luskin also shed light on the waiver that Rove signed releasing Cooper from any confidentiality agreement about the conversation. Luskin says Rove originally signed a waiver in December 2003 or in January 2004 (Luskin did not remember the exact date). The waiver, Luskin continues, was written by the office of special prosecutor Fitzgerald, and Rove signed it without making any changes — with the understanding that it applied to anyone with whom he had discussed the Wilson/Plame matter. "It was everyone's expectation that the waiver would be as broad as it could be," Luskin says.

Cooper and New York Times reporter Judith Miller have expressed concerns that such waivers (top Cheney aide Lewis Libby also signed one) might have been coerced and thus might not have represented Rove's true feelings. Yet from the end of 2003 or beginning of 2004, until last Wednesday, Luskin says, Rove had no idea that there might be any problem with the waiver.

It was not until that Wednesday, the day Cooper was to appear in court, that that changed. "Cooper's lawyer called us and said, "Can you confirm that the waiver encompasses Cooper?" Luskin recalls. "I was amazed. He's a lawyer. It's not rocket science. [The waiver] says 'any person.' It's that broad. So I said, 'Look, I understand that you want reassurances. If Fitzgerald would like Karl to provide you with some other assurances, we will.'" Luskin says he got in touch with the prosecutor — "Rule number one is cooperate with Fitzgerald, and there is no rule number two," Luskin says — and asked what to do. According to Luskin, Fitzgerald said to go ahead, and Luskin called Cooper's lawyer back. "I said that I can reaffirm that the waiver that Karl signed applied to any conversations that Karl and Cooper had," Luskin says. After that — which represented no change from the situation that had existed for 18 months — Cooper made a dramatic public announcement and agreed to testify.

A few other notes: Luskin declined to say how Rove knew that Plame "apparently" (to use Cooper's word) worked at the CIA. But Luskin told NRO that Rove is not hiding behind the defense that he did not identify Wilson's wife because he did not specifically use her name. Asked if that argument was too legalistic, Luskin said, "I agree with you. I think it's a detail."

Luskin also addressed the question of whether Rove is a "subject" of the investigation. Luskin says Fitzgerald has told Rove he is not a "target" of the investigation, but, according to Luskin, Fitzgerald has also made it clear that virtually anyone whose conduct falls within the scope of the investigation, including Rove, is considered a "subject" of the probe. "'Target' is something we all understand, a very alarming term," Luskin says. On the other hand, Fitzgerald "has indicated to us that he takes a very broad view of what a subject is."

Finally, Luskin conceded that Rove is legally free to publicly discuss his actions, including his grand-jury testimony. Rove has not spoken publicly, Luskin says, because Fitzgerald specifically asked him not to.

[kcvl]

Time magazine's Matthew Cooper married longtime Clinton adviser Mandy Grunwald in November 1997. Hillary Clinton even threw Grunwald a baby shower at the White House in July 1998. At the time Cooper was covering presidential politics for Newsweek.

media adviser Mandy Grunwald, who helped elect Bill Clinton president in 1992 and Mrs. Clinton to the Senate in 2000

******

Embarrassing Plugs for the Clinton Marriage
by L. Brent Bozell III
March 10, 1998

Newsweek's Karen Breslau and Matt Cooper (cooperative husband of Clinton spin controller Mandy Grunwald) embarrassed themselves with paragraphs of absurdity. After repeating Hillary's mantra that "The only people who count in any marriage are the two that are in it," they proclaim: "There is a simple alchemy to their relationship: she's goofy, flat-out in love with him and he with her. 'They don't kiss. They devour each other,' says one aide. He needs her - for intellectual solace, political guidance and spiritual sustenance." Oh please!

******

Friend Mandy Grunwald, a media consultant who worked on President Clinton's campaigns and now is advising Mrs. Clinton.

[eureka!]

Thanks again. 2 years into the investigations. We should soon see if something follows. Gotta run....

[ontos-on]

Well, I think the White House should make it mandatory that this article be passed out to every one of those stupid press jackasses at the next briefing. Also, a restraining order should be sought and served on Cooper to prohibit him from contacting any other official in the present administration.

---------------------------

Easier, do not have the admin people talk to him. BTW, he is married to Mandy Grunwald who was a Clinton admin harpie. ONce I heard that I knew everything needed to be known about him and what he would do with a fact or two when he sat down to write.

[anniegetyourgun]

Oh my goodness, I had forgotten about that connection (see 22). Thanks for the reminder. All these libs are in bed with each other - literally or figuratively.

[ontos-on]

I thought Rove was too smart for this and I suspect he'll have to go. But maybe the new political guy can get the communications effort geared up.

HaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. LOL.

nice try, creep. Now go back to your hole. !

[syriacus]

Exactly. The ABC guy - Terry Moran? - was claiming that Rove "peddled" (his exact word) the information to Cooper, directly implying that Rove sought out Cooper to explicitly plant the information about Plame

Yes.

I wonder if the "lie under oath" consists of someone saying the White House pushed the information on them.

I remember the MSM painting the picture that the White House was shopping around for someone to take the information ...almost like a cartoon guy with a trenchcoat offering dirty pictures, or, someone "pushing" drugs.

[Texas Songwriter]

Yes, I thought it unseemly to declare to the world that Cooper had said goodby to his son when he left for court. He has had almost 2 years to figure his strategy should push come to shove.

Do you know or do you think the special prosecutor deposed Grunwald?

[Howlin]

[ontos-on]

I think an important question to ask Judith Miller, if she ever testifies is, did she have lunch with Mandy Grunwald about this time?????

Didn't Rush today sound like he knew who Miller's source was?

[Patriot from Philly]

Judging from your mature response, you must think the White House runs an incredibly effective communications effort. I disagree. I believe Scott McClellan's performance the last two days has been pitiful.

You may want to look into that, youngster.

[syriacus]

I've concluded that Miller's imprisonment is NOT about Plame,

The thought just flashed through my mind...maybe Miller has decided to go to prison, hoping to avoid Arkancide.

[eureka!]

But see cyncooper's posts above at Nos. 84, 86 etc...

[ontos-on]

when Cooper wrote his drivel about the Hillary -Bill marriage, does he disclose in the column who he was married to?

[kcvl]

NO.

[kcvl]

She's not undercover and hasn't been for years. She's an intelligence analyst.

Absolutely! I'm so sick of the dumb*ss Democrats & ignorant OLD MEDIA claiming that she was a "undercover spy". NO, she wasn't! She was a desk jockey, obviously not very good at that either!

This mess just proves that this government needs some serious house cleaning.

[syriacus]

But see cyncooper's posts above at Nos. 84, 86 etc...

I read them...I can't figure out what I am missing. Hasn't she chosen prison? Doesn't that keep her away from some evildoers?

[ontos-on]

Rove "should go" for what reason, exactly????? PR?

That comment was so vacuous, your 2005 registration tags you as a disruptor.

[syriacus]

She was a desk jockey, obviously not very good at that either

She's got bad, bad taste in husbands, too.

[OKIEDOC]

Sounds like the Dan Rather version of things.


Dan Rather would spin it this way.
It wasn't that Rove actually told Cooper these things but he would have wanted to had he not worked for President Bush.

HowWeird Deaniac says all Republicans are lazy louts who don't work.

So Coopers and the MSM's reporting would be correct if viewed from the context of how CBS views the world.

Oh well you lazy Republicans can understand what the lying scumbag commie Democrats are getting at.

[eureka!]

I am losing track too. My gut tells me she is doing time to protect the NY Times and/or herself, nothing else...