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.
Rove can always pull the "my Diary Lied to me" trick out of the book....
lmao
The AP is recycling The Times story their own way, from the Times account.
"On Oct. 1, 2003, Mr. Novak wrote another column in which he described calling two officials. The first source, who is unknown, was described by Mr. Novak as "no partisan gunslinger" who provided the outlines of the story. The second, confirming source, Mr. Novak wrote, responded, "Oh, you know about it."
That second source was Mr. Rove, the person briefed on the matter said, although Mr. Rove's account to investigators about what he told Mr. Novak was slightly different. Mr. Rove recalled telling Mr. Novak: "I heard that, too."
Amounts to the same thing. Novak called Rove, told Rove who had already been told by other journalists.
Thanks. So their charge is that Rove misidentified Novak as his source, eh?
Well, earlier tonight I kind of expected this to head in that direction.
I'm sure there's a good explanation.
This one is even better:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1443293/posts
And I LOVE this analogy:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1443326/posts?page=5#5
Read the NYT piece; it has it right. And it clears Rove.
I think Miller told Scooter who told Rove, who confirmed for Novak.
But I want to know who Judy's covering for.
"Karl Rove, President Bush's chief adviser, leaves Air Force One upon arrival from Indianapolis, Ind., at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Thursday, July 14, 2005. Rove's alleged involvement in a news leak that exposed a CIA officer's identity has made him a political liability for President Bush, who has not yet talked about Rove's future in the administration, or his actual role in the leak. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)"
So now the AP has declared Rove a political liability for President Bush? Because of an allegation?
Great news. I'm looking forward see how the MSM and Laurence O'Donnell try to spin this one.
Let's move on to getting the right person on the Supreme Court!
I knew that this was the way it was going to end. I could tell by the twinkle in Bush's eyes when he was asked about this today during the presser. I just didn't expect it to end this fast :o)
I want to read Pat Roberts' remarks from this afternoon again.
He flat out said something very close to "Nobody had to discredit Joe Wilson; he did that well enough himself."
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Suspicion on another thread about the same subject is she is the key to this and the real culprit in this mystery told her and she told Rove who when Novak and Cooper called him had already heard it.... one supposition is she actually heard it from "Wilson." Probably far-fetched, but boy would that explain a lot.
What amazes me as that the dims didn't pick up on all the heavy duty hints that were being thrown their way.
What a cunning bunch of runts.
Now they've locked the thread containing the AP article, and deleted the link to the article and all of their comments.
It now points to the thread containing the New York Times article which isn't as explicit on the point that Novak told Rove. Those gutless cowards can't handle the truth.
Excellent phrasing--they realize it ain't there and they're trying to extricate themselves without exhonerating Rove.
some might call it mind control thru inferring thoughts and ideas to unwitting subjects.
In the MSM, it's how they do the work of the political party they prefer to see back in power or 'business as usual'. :)
In Preblog days, they would have gotten away with it and destroyed lives. These elitists are having a hard time recognizing that there are 10,000 editors watching their every move and are more than happy to expose their canards and calumny. How many people, before the Freepers came along, were destroyed by these tactics? Remorseless carion.
Like the MSM, DUers can't get a story straight even when it is spread out in front of them as plain as day.
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