Rove Pressed On Conflicts, Source Says

Washington Post ^ | October 15, 2005 | Carol D. Leonnig and Jim VandeHei

[Lance Romance]

The grand jury investigating the CIA leak case pressed White House senior adviser Karl Rove yesterday to more fully explain his conversations with reporters about CIA operative Valerie Plame, including discrepancies between his testimony and the account provided by a key witness in the investigation, according to a source familiar with Rove's account.

[Lance Romance]

One person who will not be charged is Judith Miller, the New York Times reporter who spent 85 days in jail for refusing to testify in the case before making two recent appearances before the grand jury. Miller was recently told by Fitzgerald that she is only a witness in the case, according to a source close to Miller.

True?

The source close to Rove would not provide details of yesterday's exchange, other than to say the grand jury was very interested in discrepancies in testimony. Rove initially did not tell federal agents about his conversations with Cooper. In an earlier grand jury appearance, he testified that the purpose of their conversation was welfare reform, not Wilson or Plame.

Maybe Fitzgerald is trying to be Attorney General under Hillary Clinton? Or, this is once again unfounded rumor disguising as news.

As I see it, Rove returned to the GJ 4 times for 2 reasons.

Either he had differing accounts than from other witnesses or he has enough information to help Fitz point the finger at someone else. I have to admit that Judy Miller not being indicted is puzzling. Her reasons for not testifying are way too fishy.

[Fenris6]

Fitzgerald also told Rove he was not the target of the investigation. [shrug]

[exit82]

What is the point of this whole exercise if Valerie Plame was not a covert CIA agent for five years before the conversation took place?

There's nothing to prosecute here.

And there's no way to prove malicious intent according to the statute pertaining to this. Mentioning a name doesn't fulfill the law's requirements re: intent to harm.

With the legal problems dumped on DeLay, Frist, and now, Rove, I feel I am witnessing a Democratic strategy to neutralize the President. Either that, or the realization of their dreams.

[NormsRevenge]

Protestors dress as condoms in front of the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Washington October 14, 2005, as U.S. President George W. Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove appears before a grand jury for a fourth time on Friday as prosecutors neared a decision on whether to bring charges over leaking a covert CIA operative's name. The protestors, dressed as condoms in reference to the investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's identity, called for Rove to be fired. REUTERS/Jason Reed

[MrsEmmaPeel]

What is the point of this whole exercise if Valerie Plame was not a covert CIA agent for five years before the conversation took place?

I don't get it, either. More excuses to waste taxpayers' money, I guess.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

LOLOLOL

[NormsRevenge]

[tomahawk]

They're trying to nail Rove on perjury.

[FlingWingFlyer]

That knucklehead in the middle with the see-thru condom doesn't even appear to be an American.

[Buck W.]

Too bad they remembered the air holes.

[oolatec]

Uh... Not all Americans are white folk.

[Cicero]

according to a source familiar with Rove's account

Deep Throat?

[HelloooClareece]

To me the fact that there is such a major leak on this grand jury is far more troubling than anything Rove could've said.

[exit82]

Perjury for a non existent crime. Wow--they're pushing legal boundaries forward now!!

Besides, I thought perjury didn't matter anymore.Depends on what the meaning of "covert" is, I guess.

The one who really committed perjury is Joe Wilson.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Hey, MSM, it was this contention over unnamed sources that started all this crapola. To me, any unnamed source quoted by the MSM, now equates to no source.

[Zeppo]

according to a source familiar with Rove's account

That description is ambiguous enough to cover anything from a member of the GJ to Rove himself or someone else in the Bush administration.

But then the article goes on to say, the source close to Rove would not provide details of yesterday's exchange, which would seem to rule out a member of the GJ...

[Unicorn]

Oh my god the source said so were doomed.

[Jeff Chandler]

I wouldn't be surprised if Rove were indicted. It is open season on conservatives, while Republicans protect Democrats. Go figure.

[TheForceOfOne]

How fruity does one need to be in order to dress up in a condom costume and loiter around the Federal Courthouse?

[okie01]

To me the fact that there is such a major leak on this grand jury is far more troubling than anything Rove could've said.

The only conceivable sources for the Post on this story are a.) Rove himself or his attorney, Luskin, b.) a member of Fitzgerald's prosecutorial team, or c.) a member of the grand jury.

Yesterday, on Hairball, Jim Vande Hei of the Washington Post admitted that the media had no idea what was going on inside this investigation -- it was sealed tight -- and anything they might report was speculation.

Note that Vande Hei shares the byline on this story...