Posted on 07/14/2005 9:32:15 PM PDT by blake6900
Source: Rove Got CIA Agent ID From Media By JOHN SOLOMON, Associated Press Writer
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.
On Thursday, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada pressed for legislation to strip Rove of his clearance for classified information, which he said President Bush should already have done. Instead, Reid said, the Bush administration has attacked its critics: "This is what is known as a cover-up. This is an abuse of power."
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said Democrats were resorting to "partisan war chants."
Across the Capitol, Rep. Rush Holt (news, bio, voting record), D-N.J., introduced legislation for an investigation that would compel senior administration officials to turn over records relating to the Plame disclosure.
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," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
__
Associated Press special correspondent David Espo contributed to this story.
I have seen her on Brit's show enough to see her making the dem arguments for them. Dana Priest from the WP was real involved with the stories on this and she is even worse.
I have to get some shut eye since I will be at the oral surgeon in 4 hrs., but I am positive about one thing--this isn't going to make the dems happy when the prosecutor starts handing out indictments. I thought at least one news organization would mention the 'frogmarch' Rove quote today, but I missed it if they did! I did see Wilson telling the story of what a hero he was and I thought he was going to demand a purple heart! Gag!
Do you think a good CIA & State Dept house cleaning will soon take place? Looks like Condi has some shaking in their boots, but many heads should be rolling.
In 2003, sure, so it looks like Rove is in the clear. But depending on the timeline, 2002 is within the five year window so there could be a number of people in trouble if this information was being passed around a year earlier while Wilson was shopping his story around the MSM.
I'm starting to think it was no coincidence that this story exploded in 2003 - it put it safely outside the 5 year limit. But if it can be proven that plans to launch this attack took place a year earlier, then anyone involved could be looking at violations of the covert operative law as well as criminal conspiracy.
He asked Novak if he could walk a block or two with him, as they were headed in the same direction; Novak acquiesced. Striking up a conversation, my friend, without revealing that he knew me, asked Novak about the uranium controversy. It was a minor problem, Novak replied, and opined that the administration should have dealt with it weeks before. My friend then asked Novak what he thought about me, and Novak answered: "Wilson's an asshole. The CIA sent him. His wife, Valerie, works for the CIA. She's a weapons of mass destruction specialist. She sent him." At that point, my friend and Novak went their separate ways. My friend headed straight for my office a couple of blocks away.
Once he related this unsettling story to me, I asked him to immediately write down the details of the conversation and afterwards ushered him out of my office. Next, I contacted the head of the news division at CNN, Eason Jordan, Novak's titular boss, whom I had known for a number of years. It took several calls, but I finally tracked him down on his cell phone.
Excuse me, but isn't it a CRIME to LEAK Grand Jury testimony?
That was the original plan, during the 2004 election, wasn't it? Trying to discredit Cheney in regards to the yellow cake issue. The new Rove witch hunt is just the new regurgitated attempt to get at this administration. I really, really loathe these left-wing imbeciles
No it was WILSON that told Judith Miller that it was his wife Valerie Plame, a Cia "Covert AGent" that sent him on this super secret mission to Niger. The little lie about Tenet or Cheney sending him was a COVER story, doncha know.
Should read: The person, who works in the legal profession and spoke only on condition of anonymity because he or she is breaking the law concerning 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.
Could be...which might explain why she never actually wrote a story on the subject. It could also explain that Rove was not her source...but Joseph Wilson was.
Who told Judith Miller???? And who is the "Ole Gray Ho" sheilding?
This has the Toon gangs fingerprints all over it.
I think Judith, a long time d.c. reporter, knew Valerie Plame for a long time. Which explains why she didn't write the story.
Just keep it up, all you leftists, that egg is on YOUR face.
Karl Rove is a great American in my book.
Man, I hope I never get THAT happy.
So sad, too bad. Boo hoo. All they can do now is get their licks in while they can.
It gets down to this (from NYT article):
[Mr. Novak then turned to the subject of Ms. Wilson, identifying her by name, the person said. In an Op-Ed article for The New York Times on July 6, 2003, Mr. Wilson suggested that he had been sent to Niger because of Mr. Cheney's interest in the matter. But Mr. Novak told Mr. Rove he knew that Mr. Wilson had been sent at the urging of Ms. Wilson, the person who had been briefed on the matter said.] Can we all go home now? geez.
You do know that Chris Matthew has something to do with this also? I have to email him and see (yeah right), if he will disclose his phone conversation, where Chrissy says he was told, Plame was fair game...after which (right), Matthews immediately called Wilson and told him.
Thank God I'm a Republican. Libs are twisted, without a scintilla of common sense or morals...you can't reason with them.
Still has Clintonista written all over it...with the usual foaming at the mouth libs.
Was Schumer the handler or what?
And on the floor yesterday...for the love of Elvis, insane.
Wanna bet they have the cajones to bring it up again today.
Cant wait for the CSPAN threads.
Fox H&C-Coulter on same page: http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player05.html?071205/hc_rove_071205&Hannity_Colmes&Video&acc&Hannity%20%26%20Colmes&-1&new
FYI, You guys have to see the video from Hannity and Colmes where Bill Press is foaming at the mouth vs G. Gordon Liddy; That should be a training tape for Al-Libbat
(Liberal Moonbats not yet over Al Gore). And the Coulter clip.
"Love blinds us to faults, hatred to virtues."
They are blinded by their hatred of Bush and Rove.
This proverb also explains their inability to see Clinton as he is.
"Bogus claims" has never been proven but this line once again proves the slant of AP nowadays.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.