Posted on 07/14/2005 9:13:31 PM PDT by HAL9000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Presidential confidant Karl Rove testified to a grand jury that he learned the identity of a CIA operative originally from journalists, then informally discussed the information with a Time magazine reporter days before the story broke, according to a person briefed on the testimony.The person, who works in the legal profession and spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of grand jury proceedings, told The Associated Press that Rove testified last year that he remembers specifically being told by columnist Robert Novak that Valerie Plame, the wife of a harsh Iraq war critic, worked for the CIA.
Rove testified that Novak originally called him the Tuesday before Plame's identity was revealed in July 2003 to discuss another story. The conversation eventually turned to former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who was strongly criticizing the Bush administration's Iraq war policy and the intelligence it used to justify the war, the source said.
The person said Rove testified that Novak told him he had learned and planned to report in a weekend column that Wilson's wife, Plame, had worked for the CIA, and the circumstances on how her husband traveled to Africa to check bogus claims of alleged nuclear material sales to Iraq.
Novak's column, citing two Bush administration officials, appeared six days later, touching off a political firestorm and leading to a federal criminal investigation into who leaked Plame's undercover identity. That probe has ensnared presidential aides and reporters in a two-year legal battle.
Rove told the grand jury that by the time Novak had called him, he believes he had similar information about Wilson's wife from another reporter but had no recollection of which reporter had told him about it first, the source said.
When Novak inquired about Wilson's wife working for the CIA, Rove indicated he had heard something like that, according to the source's recounting of the grand jury testimony.
Rove told the grand jury that four days later, he had a phone conversation with Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper and _ in an effort to discredit some of Wilson's allegations _ told Cooper that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, though he never used her name.
An e-mail Cooper recently provided the grand jury shows Cooper reported to his magazine bosses that Rove had described Wilson's wife in a confidential conversation as someone who "apparently works" at the CIA.
Robert Luskin, Rove's attorney, said Thursday his client truthfully testified to the grand jury and expected to be exonerated.
"Karl provided all pertinent information to prosecutors a long time ago," Luskin said. "And prosecutors confirmed when he testified most recently in October 2004 that he is not a target of the investigation."
Rove's conversation with Cooper took place five days after Wilson suggested in a New York Times opinion piece that some of the intelligence related to Iraq's nuclear weapons program was twisted to exaggerate the Iraqi threat. Novak's column identifying Wilson's wife as a CIA employee and Cooper's magazine piece came out a few days later.
Pressed to explain its statements of two years ago that Rove wasn't involved in the leak, the White House refused to do so this week.
"If I were to get into discussing this, I would be getting into discussing an investigation that continues and could be prejudging the outcome of the investigation," McClellan said.
It's not illegal for a witness before the grand jury or such individual's attorney to discuss their own testimony - it's only a crime for others involved in the process (members of the Grand Jury or the court ie those transcribing the events) to disclose what's happening.
Um hmmmm. And while the MSM desperately tries to create yet another phony story to tear down George Bush and anyone associated with him, the MSM (especially institutions like Newsweek, Time Magazine, and the NYT's) watches its readership numbers plummet...while the Bush administration soldiers on. I'm sure Rove isn't having a hard time sleeping at night.
I could see her as the leaker, but to Novak, not to Scooter Libby or Rove... because then how could Novak have found out if he told Rove?
She was already a "WMD reporter" for the NYT or whatever, right? So its definitely possible that she knew about Plame and Wilson, especially since Wilson wrote the op-ed for her paper. (Wilson the original leaker??) Then she told Novak and he told Rove. And Rove mentioned it to Matt Cooper? Just a possibility in my mind... I don't get the whole Scooter Libby connection.
Cooper got the tip from his wife, who got the tip from Valarie herself and together they gave it to Judith Miller.
Dear lord, Joe Wilson is on the rerun of Aaron Brown's show and he is STILL carrying around that letter from Bush 41, holding it up for the camera to see!
He is SICK.
He has made this personal; Aaron Brown actually just told him that this is politics as usual in D.C., you hurt them, they hurt you; evidently Wilson doesn't think he should be subject to those rules.
PERFECT! ;-D
It has gone too far; they've pushed these attacks so far that I'm convinced they are going to have to accuse whoever Bush nominates for the Supreme Court of murder simply because they're already used all the other false accusations they can think of for the last six years.
What's great about this is it is absolutely driving them insane. And we get to watch it :o)
From what I have read on here -- though I've never seen it -- Wilson had her listed on HIS web site and in that Who's Who book!
Oh, you're giving them too little credit. They can always invent ever more vile accusations, they have a bottomless pit of them. Thing is, if they keep this up, we won't just have 60 seats in the senate in 2006, we'll have 75. Everyone except the DUmmies are embarrassed to be democrats anymore.
Karl Rove as Lucy holding the football for the DemoncRATs ROFLMAO
Read the DUmmie Funnies entry for today as they try to figure out Rove's chart. LOL!
lol......gotta love the twinkle in his eye. He knew he didn't have to worry.... I just look at him and have a "gut feeling" that he is honest, and doing the best job he can.....with the nuts he's dealing with.
Since this story is linked to the AP, I assume it will truly, truly be reported tomorrow. I hope to God it will.
Anybody got a list of the email addresses for John Roberts, Ugly hair David Gregory, Tiny Timmy Moran, Helen the Horrible? Ivins? Dowd?
I'm sick of editorials that spout lies, and then they are never held accountable.
ABC, CBS, NBC?......... we need a handy link to email all of them. This will go away quickly, if we don't let them know they were wrong, wrong wrong to try to pull this crap.
Their nastiness was too much. I don't think they should be allowed a pass on this.
If they are allowed a pass, they'll just keep trying to pull this crap. It seems to be all they have. BS.
How many of these conspiracys have blown up on these idiots now? I've lost count already! WOULD LOVE TO GO OVER TO DUmmyland to see what they're saying but I think I'm getting too tired to laugh that hard.
LOL!
Cracking me up again. Your posts just make me laugh.
Thanks for the grins.
We will still be hearing about Rove outing Plame two years from now.
The idiots running the MSM never back away from their insanity.
But. BUT.
But(t). and BUT(twipe)
Former ambassador Joseph Wilson (R), the husband of a CIA agent at the center of a leak controversy dogging the White House, speaks to the press as US Senator Charles Schumer, D-NY, looks on(AFP/Paul J. Richards)
Oh no I've got c-SPAN on now and Pat Roberts is speaking giving H--l to the RATS ABOUT THE ''dirty REID ammendment'' gotta go watch this! Night ALL!
"So now the AP has declared Rove a political liability for President Bush? Because of an allegation?"
Yep. I allege that Hillary Clinton is anti-Semitic. I bet they'll be calling for her to step down any minute now.
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