US officials brace for decisions in CIA leak case Wed Oct 5, 2005 9:07 PM ET

Reuters ^ | 10-5-05 | Reuters

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

No, it doesn't matter. Oceanview, if YOU were in the crosshairs of a special prosecutor with a federal grand jury considering whether to issue felony indictments against you, I have no doubt that YOU also would try not to gratuitously piss off said special prosecutor.

[drjimmy]

Fitzgerald is a Democrat. Expect a slew of ham sandwich indictments.

Except that Fitzgerald isn't a Democrat. And were his indictments of Mayor Daley's cronies a slew of ham sandwich indictments?

[oceanview]

unless there was some agreement for Libby such as "I can't clear you unless Miller is given some face saving means of testifying" - I would not have provided it.

[airedale]

I suppose perjury if either of them lied to the grand jury. obstruction of justice depending on what they did or said. Conspiracy the ever available catchall if they conspired in some way with the media to obstruct justice. But those are all pie in the sky. I still don't know if any crime has been committed. I don't think so under the statute covering exposing undercover CIA agents.

[IGOTMINE]

Damn that was quick!

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Except that Fitzgerald isn't a Democrat.

I had read that he was a Democrat, but perhaps I merely read that from another poster and assumed it was true and repeated it. In looking now, I can't find any information on his official political affiliation. Do you have any specific information on this?

His background -- from Brooklyn, parents first generation Irish, went to Harvard Law School. Was appointed US Attorney by this administration. Seems utterly apolitical in his career so far. Guess one can make what one will of that.

[Buckhead]

Reading Fitzgerald's letter is quite revealing. Fitzgerald argued in court and won at every level that a valid waiver had been given to Miller by Libby, both by written waiver and by conduct. And then he turns around and gives voice to the totally incompatible notion that Libby has not given her a proper waiver, or at least a waiver sufficient to satisfy her standard for voluntariness - a standard that he has definitively established in court is the wrong standard. Moreover, she could have - at any time - done what Matt Cooper, Tim Russert, Walter Pincus, et al. did, and that is to approach Libby's counsel to confirm that the waiver applied to them personally. So for Fitzgerald to cast blame for her incarceration on Libby seems quite ridiculous. Moreover, as reported on Powerline, http://powerlineblog.com/archives/011865.php, *after* all this developed she fired Floyd Abrams, hired Bob Bennett, and then cut a deal to limit the scope of her testimony *before* she agreed to testify and before she was let out of jail. So, responsibility for her languishing in jail simply cannot be ascribed to Libby. Here are the words of Floyd Abrams on the subject:

I spoke to Mr. Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, and he did not agree at that time to something that he later did agree to, which was to limit the scope of the questions he would ask, so as to assure that the only source he would effectively be asking about was Mr. Libby. She has other sources and was very concerned about the possibility of having to reveal those sources, or going back to jail because of them.

As for what Fitzgerald will do, I have no idea. Regards,

[Wolfstar]

The fact that he accepted Miller's proposal that he rejected a year later tells me he has nothing and he's going to offer up a goat to save his own skin to live another political day.

That's exactly what I'm afraid of, because that's the kind of thing these special prosecutors do routinely. They take forever and a day to investigate the original charge, but typically find nothing there. So they indict some hapless individual for "perjury" even though no charges are ever brought on the original "crime."

Fitzgerald is a Democrat who has been given free rein to damage a president he opposes politcally. I don't trust him one tiny bit. He'll find some reason to bring an indictment, just like Ronnie Earle, only more slick.

[drjimmy]

I had read that he was a Democrat, but perhaps I merely read that from another poster and assumed it was true and repeated it. In looking now, I can't find any information on his official political affiliation. Do you have any specific information on this?

What I had read is that he was determined not to be part of any political party so he registered to vote as an independent. He later was aghast to learn that he had unintentionally registered with the Independence Party! He certainly seems to be an equal opportunity indicter.

[Jeff Chandler]

Indicted for what?

Doesn't matter. They're Republicans. That's enough for indictment in this country.

The sad thing is the the White House will probably sing the praises of the prosecutor. Have him over for popcorn and a movie. Give him a high profile government assignment. Then kick a conservative in the head.

[Jeff Chandler]

I think if Rove or Libby perjured themselves they deserve jail.

Perjury in front of a grand jury? Everybody does it.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Yes, the idea that she was sitting in jail for three months because she didn't believe she had a real waiver from Libby is simply not credible.

Interestingly, after that absurd explanation was floated and greeted with skepticism, Floyd Abrams gives the interview with Howie Kurtz of WaPo, in which he claims that the real reason she sat in jail for so long was because they couldn't come to an agreement with Fitzgerald on the agreement limiting scope of questioning.

But I find that equally not credible. If that was the reason she was languishing in jail, then wouldn't Fitzgerald be aware of it? Yet in his letter to Libby's lawyer he leaves the definite impression that he believes the only reason she is in jail is the "misunderstanding" over the Libby waiver.

And it appears to me from the press reports that reporters Kessler and Cooper probably also received agreements limiting scope of questioning, and neither of them had to go to jail in order to face down Fitzgerald to get such agreements.

So neither the Libby waiver explanation nor the agreement to limit scope of questioning explanation credibly explains why she went to jail.

The best theory I have at the moment is that Floyd Abrams and the NYT have been pushing the Federal Shield Law, they saw who they thought would be the perfect poster child for this, and convinced Judy Miller to drink the kool-aid.

[Cougar66]

Does anyone here have any specific quotes from anyone in the Bush administration specifically saying "Wilson's wife name is Valerie Plame and she works at the CIA, possibly covertly". If this was never said I don't see any indictments anywhere. Plus, it has to be proven she was indeed a covert agent at the time. Right???

[GoLightly]

A long time ago, someone around here said he was a Kennedy relative. Ya know, cuz of JFK's middle name.

Anyway, I did a google to see if I could find anything to confirm it, I came across a far out, tin foil, black helicopters, Build a Burger site... I just had to share it with someone & since you were the one I was gonna tell about the Kennedy connection, you're it. LOL

http://www.tomflocco.com/fs/BushCheneyIndicted.htm

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

As we all know, if there really were such indictments they also would have named Halliburton, LOL!

[BoBToMatoE]

Luskin's silence worries me....he didn't hesitate in the past to say that Rove was not a target...

---

Agreed. I can only pray that Wilson and the rest got indicted as well and this isnt a one sided attack. This fall keeps getting worse and worse.

[rwfromkansas]

Libby will be indicted.

I predict this since the political winds just aren't great for the GOP right now.

Hopefully, it won't happen.

[mondonico]

If there is any justice in the world, Joe Wilson will be indicted for perjury or obstruction or some comparable offense.

[patriciamary]

I don't know,I just got a bad feeling.Their out to get this administration anyway possible,I pray I am wrong.