Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Outing Plame may not have been illegal. What is the prosecutor hunting? (the bigger picture!)
POST GAZETTE.COM ^ | JULY 17, 2005 | JACK KELLY

Posted on 07/17/2005 8:37:17 PM PDT by CHARLITE

Why is special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald pursuing so zealously the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame, since it is all but impossible to prove that the leaker or leakers committed a crime?

So why is Fitzgerald acting like Inspector Javert in "Les Miserables"? The answer may lie in a sentence Walter Pincus of The Washington Post wrote on June 12, 2003.

President Bush mentioned the British findings in his State of the Union address in January 2003. In his leaks to Pincus, and earlier to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, Wilson claimed Bush knew this was false. The key sentence in Pincus' story is this:

"Among the envoy's conclusions was that the documents may have been forged because 'the dates were wrong and the names were wrong,' the former U.S. government official said."

Wilson outed himself in an op-ed in the New York Times on July 6, 2003, "What I Didn't Find in Africa," which described his CIA-sponsored trip to Niger in 2002. On July 14, 2003, columnist Robert Novak wondered why Wilson, who had no intelligence background and strong anti-Bush views, had been selected for the Niger mission. "Two senior administration officials told me Wilson's wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report," he wrote. That set off the Plame name game.

Maybe Fitzgerald is investigating a different crime.

What if someone in the CIA was leaking classified information to influence the 2004 election? Uncovering a crime like that would be worthy of Inspector Javert's doggedness.

I suspect the biggest shoe in this case has yet to drop, and liberal journalists won't be happy when it does.

(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: agent; cia; cialeak; cialeaks; iraq; karlrove; niger; nuclear; patrickfitzgerald; program; prosecutor; robertnovak; saddamhussein; scandal; uranium; valerieplame
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 121-140141-160161-180 ... 201-211 next last
To: liberallarry

the forged documents were planted by the French to discredit what was otherwise a good piece of intel about Iraq and Niger.

what are you suggesting, the Plame's CIA group knew the document was going to show this, because they knew it was a plant?


141 posted on 07/18/2005 1:24:31 PM PDT by oceanview
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Eva

that's correct, they were essentially the "middleman" between Iraq and Niger - that's why they have the motive (along with the american left) to discredit the story by planting forged documents as a poison pill.

still, I don't think Fitzgerald is going to be able to pull this off and get to the bottom of it all - too many secrets, Miller won't talk (if I were her, I'd have somebody tasting my food if you know what I mean), etc.


142 posted on 07/18/2005 1:31:55 PM PDT by oceanview
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: oceanview

I read another article about the WMDs and the oil for food program. The article proposed that perhaps the reason that Saddam didn't expose the fact that he had no weapons of mass destruction was because he didn't want the sanctions to end. That's right, the sanctions were actually working to Saddam's benefit.

By keeping the sanctions going, it made the Iraqi people dependent on Saddam and mistrustful of the Americans, and really was freeing Saddam to spend tons of money the way he wanted and make all sorts of deals with France and Russia, all the while undermining the status of the United States in the eyes of the world.


143 posted on 07/18/2005 1:36:30 PM PDT by Eva
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 142 | View Replies]

To: Grampa Dave

That is the main illogical fact.

Why would a hard core Dem journalist go to jail to protect a GOP source, especialy if it ment bringing down Rove. They would be a hero for life, amongst the Dems, right up there with Woodward and Bernstein.

It just doesn't make sense, she must be protecting a Dem source.


144 posted on 07/18/2005 1:39:31 PM PDT by crazycat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 81 | View Replies]

To: liberallarry

Appears that somebody was worried right after 9/11/01 about Saddam.

Who aside from Saddam had the most to loose if Saddam was dethroned???


145 posted on 07/18/2005 1:42:51 PM PDT by Just mythoughts
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: marron

Wonder what sent the alarm bells off so soon after 9/11/01 to have Wilson selected and on the ground in Niger by Feb. 02?

The liberals have touted from the beginning there was no connection between Saddam and OBL, yet somebody was worried about "yellowcake" shortly after 9/11/01.


146 posted on 07/18/2005 1:47:33 PM PDT by Just mythoughts
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: oceanview; Miss Marple; cyncooper; Shermy; Fedora; Howlin; Mo1
Here is what Fitzgerald is looking at I'll bet.

In September 2002, the British government published a white paper in which it made public British intelligence's belief that Saddam had tried to buy uranium in Africa. A month later, the CIA received from an Italian source documents purporting to show that Niger and Iraq had done a deal. These turned out to be forgeries.

President Bush mentioned the British findings in his State of the Union address in January 2003. In his leaks to Pincus, and earlier to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, Wilson claimed Bush knew this was false. The key sentence in Pincus' story is this:

"Among the envoy's conclusions was that the documents may have been forged because 'the dates were wrong and the names were wrong,' the former U.S. government official said."

Wilson's official role ended when he returned from Niger in March. The CIA didn't get the Italian forgeries until October. Wilson had no access to them. He either was making up what he told Kristof and Pincus, or he had received an unauthorized leak of classified information.

147 posted on 07/18/2005 2:15:37 PM PDT by Dog ( Is Joe Wilson is just a character Rove created?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 142 | View Replies]

To: Dog

Key Iraqi said to counter U.S. claims on tubes, bomb project
Associated Press ^ | 07-17-03
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/948088/posts#13

To: Dog
BTW- check out the name. Jacques Baute. He's the same guy who determined that the Niger documents were false. He's the French representative to the IAEA.

13 posted on 07/17/2003 7:41:53 PM EDT by William McKinley


148 posted on 07/18/2005 2:33:14 PM PDT by Mo1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 147 | View Replies]

To: Dog

Dog: I have a tendency to agree with you on this. I think the investigation is beyond the Plame Game aspect and into the forgeries. I just hope that Fitzgerald would finish up his stuff and we could hear the results.


149 posted on 07/18/2005 2:41:32 PM PDT by Laverne
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 147 | View Replies]

To: crazycat

"That is the main illogical fact.

"Why would a hard core Dem journalist go to jail to protect a GOP source, especialy if it ment bringing down Rove. They would be a hero for life, amongst the Dems, right up there with Woodward and Bernstein."

I used this argument and my little list today with a medical professional who likes to be the devil's advocate. I told him to name one liberal who would go to jail to protect Karl Rove, Cheney, Rummey, Powell or GW being exposed as a source.

He couldn't answer with a single lib in the media or politics. When he tried to change the subject, I told him getting us/the conservatives and moderates to believe that Miller is protecting Rove et al is not going to fly.


150 posted on 07/18/2005 2:51:22 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (The MSM is trying to make us believe, Judith Miller is in jail to protect Karl Rove!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 144 | View Replies]

To: Dog

Interesting line of thought. Trying to relate that to another idea I've been pondering: maybe the way Miller enters into the investigation is that the prosecutor is wondering if whoever leaked that information to Wilson in the US was also talking to Andrew Gilligan in Britain. The British investigation of the latter considered as one possible suspect David Kelly, who was in contact with Miller before he died. Maybe Fitzgerald wants to talk to Miller about any knowledge she has of what Kelly said about the Gilligan leak investigation to see if it has any relevance to the leaks associated with Wilson and Plame.


151 posted on 07/18/2005 3:00:00 PM PDT by Fedora
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 147 | View Replies]

To: Dog

Oops .. I posted the wrong link
Sorry about that


Leak Probe May Expand Beyond White House [Pentagon,State Dept.]
Associated Press ^ | October 2, 2003 | Curt Anderson


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/993832/posts?page=22#22
To: AntiGuv; MJY1288
MJ heard on CSPAN today the host read an news article from today in which the Justice Dept will seek the Wilson's phone records..

22 posted on 10/02/2003 2:21:42 PM EDT by Dog


152 posted on 07/18/2005 3:14:48 PM PDT by Mo1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 147 | View Replies]

To: Mo1

Phone records? Hot dog! NOW we're getting somewhere! LOL!


153 posted on 07/18/2005 3:21:08 PM PDT by Miss Marple (Karl Rove is Plame-proof.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 152 | View Replies]

To: marron
Wilson and Plame cooperated to cover up the big story in Niger.

Are your statements just a logical result of your reasoning? It does make sense. Veddy intuhdestink!

154 posted on 07/18/2005 3:46:35 PM PDT by arasina (So there.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Miss Marple

Joseph Wilson on C-SPAN at 7:45am Eastern, Monday
C-SPAN ^ Posted on 09/29/2003 7:36:40 AM EDT by leadpenny
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/991382/posts


155 posted on 07/18/2005 3:47:27 PM PDT by Mo1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 153 | View Replies]

To: Mo1
I see those phone records were subpoenaed over 2 years ago. Fitzgerald has to have figured out by now who said what. So why is Miller in jail?

By the way, while I was reading that thread I see that Wilson said he could write that op-ed because he went as a representative of the "broader US government" and not the CIA. What a pice of work that guy is!

I want him thrown in jail because he is so darned obnoxious!

156 posted on 07/18/2005 3:54:00 PM PDT by Miss Marple (Karl Rove is Plame-proof.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 155 | View Replies]

To: Miss Marple
So why is Miller in jail?

IMO .. he wants to see her notes and she won't hand them over ..

Also remember Miller is the one that tipped off that Charity that was funding the Terrorists

157 posted on 07/18/2005 3:59:56 PM PDT by Mo1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 156 | View Replies]

To: Miss Marple; Dog; holdonnow

Off Topic a bit ... But Mark is on a ROLL tonight ripping into Russert, the Libs and Wilson apart .. *L*


158 posted on 07/18/2005 4:18:46 PM PDT by Mo1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 156 | View Replies]

To: Mo1

Mo can I get a link to holdonnows show.


159 posted on 07/18/2005 4:29:14 PM PDT by Dog ( Is Joe Wilson is just a character Rove created?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 158 | View Replies]

To: Dog

I keep a links on my profile page .. down towards the bottom

http://www.wabcradio.com/ListenLive.asp

He's talking about Judges now


160 posted on 07/18/2005 4:33:55 PM PDT by Mo1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 159 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 121-140141-160161-180 ... 201-211 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson