The White House’s Legal Katrina

Human Events Online ^ | oct. 18 , 2005 | Victoria Toensing

[blogblogginaway]

There now appears to be consensus that no one violated the 1982 Agent Identities Protection Act in publishing the name of CIA employee Valerie Plame. It’s a hard law to violate. Its high threshold requires that the person whose identity is revealed must actually be covert (which requires at the least a foreign assignment within five years of the revelation), that the government must be taking “affirmative measures” to conceal the person’s identity, and that the revealer must know that the government is taking those measures.

So why didn’t Patrick Fitzgerald, the special counsel investigating the “leak,” close up shop long ago?

[Perdogg]

It depends on what he's really looking at.

[sinkspur]

Bottom line: An overaggressive prosecutor seeking to make his bona fides after being embarrassed in a terrorism investigation two years ago.

[Txsleuth]

Ping...

I almost hate to recommend this....but it is very good...and bad, possibly, for Bush.

But, Toensing supposedly helped write this law..so she should know what is going on.

[SF Republican]

Because Ken Starr stayed on the job beyond the alloted task; this is payback

[syriacus]

Bookmarked. Thanks.

[EternalHope]

Good article. Thanks for posting.

Why would Fitzgerald pursue something this flimsy? Is there something else here entirely?

[Diddle E. Squat]

I sure hope that Fitzgerald isn't a Paleo...

[Txsleuth]

It is a very good and understandable article...and I trust her...but, I have to say that I wish she had been a little more optomistic about Bush's Administration coming out unscathed...

especially since she basically just said it is all BOGUS!

[Diddle E. Squat]

Darn, missed it by 'that' much.

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[rhombus]

There now appears to be consensus that no one violated the 1982 Agent Identities Protection Act

Not if you listen to the legacy media. But only if you really have to.

[leadpenny]

Thanks for the ping.

[speedy]

Toensing is a serious and well-connected person. Her writing like this is not a good sign.

[lugsoul]

Wow, sink - I would've expected you to actually wait and see what the guy does before jumping on the Fitz-bashing bandwagon.

That's a bit more 'good soldier' than I'm used to seeing from you.

[leadpenny]

Yep, it's gone.

[gunnedah]

The Clintons brought plenty of lawyers to DC with them on top of what was already there. Everyone saw the thousands they sent to Florida. This is a never ending process now so you may as well get used to it. Just another way of stealing from the taxpayers and paying off friends.

[djl_sa]

try:

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=9742

[Steve_Seattle]

"Because Ken Starr stayed on the job beyond the alloted task; this is payback."

Payback for what? When it was all over, Bill and Hillary and Susan McDougal were still standing, and the playing field was littered with the wounded and discredited: Kenneth Starr, Linda Tripp, Bob Livingston, Newt Gingrich, Bob Barr, Kathleen Willey, Henry Hyde, Juanita Broaddrick, and Paula Jones.

[Steve_Seattle]

A week ago there were rumors that there would be no indictments. All we have are rumors, some good, some bad.

[syriacus]

Andrea Mitchell on Hardball just now. Mentioned that Wilson "exaggerated/lied" when he told everyone that Cheney sent him to Africa.

Andrea didn't look too well.