Posted on 10/19/2005 5:13:50 PM PDT by blogblogginaway
Top White House aides Karl Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby discussed their contacts with reporters about an undercover CIA officer in the days before her identity was published, the first known intersection between two central figures in the criminal leak investigation.
Rove told grand jurors it was possible he first heard in the White House that Valerie Plame, wife of Bush administration Joseph Wilson, worked for the CIA from Libby's recounting of a conversation with a journalist, according to people familiar with his testimony.
They said Rove testified that his discussions with Libby before Plame's CIA cover was blown were limited to information reporters had passed to them. Some evidence prosecutors have gathered conflicts with Libby's account.
Rove is deputy White House chief of staff and President Bush's closest political adviser. Libby is Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald must determine whether the contacts between the two men concerning Plame's CIA work were part of an effort to undercut her husband's criticism of the Iraq war or simply the trading of information and rumors that typically occurs inside the White House.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
I've never found a reason to care about this story. I keep looking, and I keep not caring.
I'm sorry, but when did discrediting Joe Wilson become a crime against the state.
"Rove told grand jurors it was possible he first heard in the White House that Valerie Plame, wife of Bush administration Joseph Wilson, worked for the CIA from Libby's recounting of a conversation with a journalist, according to people familiar with his testimony."
So grand jury testimony is leaking now?
Isn't that a crime in itself?
"Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald must determine whether the contacts between the two men concerning Plame's CIA work were part of an effort to undercut her husband's criticism of the Iraq war or simply the trading of information and rumors that typically occurs inside the White House."
It's both. It was to undercut criticism of Cheney by Wilson. Wilson wove a story that he found a lack of evidence and it was stifled by Cheney or his people.
Team Bush is letting Joe Wilson's egotistical spin get hold.
"So grand jury testimony is leaking now?"
Sounds like Rove.
Aren't you aware that the American public are up in arms over this thing?!? Why, it's just like that golf club in Georgia that wouldn't let women be members. These are stories that deserve to be on the front page of the daily paper from now til the end of time!
I believe laws were broken when rogue segments of the CIA conduct activities with the intent of embarrassing the President of the United States and his administration.
It would not surprise me if Valerie Plame and her Husband are not the focus of this investigation. Was Joe Wilson's phone records subpoenaed?
NO HE MUST NOT, SINCE THAT'S NOT A CRIME.
A reporter is claiming that the grand jury or some legal staffer is leaking to him. We cannot even establish that the reporter's sources exist, much less who they might be if they do exist- and we're not even supposed to question a sacred reporter, according to those who are pushing for a journalist shield law.
Yeah, he sounds more and more like John Kerry with every passing day: just like Kerry saying he's going to sue the Swiftboat Vets for, um, well, um, hey, the outrage.
What story? That Joe Wilson's wife, a frequent topic of discussion by Joe Wilson and featured on Joe Wilson's website and book, may or may not have been mentioned by Administration officials when answering Wilson's charges after he publicized his super-important, top-secret but somehow non-written report about the trip his non-covert desk-jockey wife, who could not be "outed" because she wasn't "in", had nepotistically recommended he be hired to make so he could sip mint tea with assorted tinhorn officials and accomplish exactly nothing and in fact "determine" that no yellowcake purchase had been attempted (although somehow Saddam had 150 tons of the stuff)?
That story?
"
Sounds like Rove."
As I understand it, it's legal for Rove to talk about his own testimony.
I hope to God I never have to testify in front of a Grand Jury or any kind of jury. I can't remember 90% of the stuff I said yesterday, let alone weeks, months or years ago. And I can't remember dates to save my life. Seriously. I would be scared out of my mind. I honestly don't know how these people are even expected to remember stuff like this.
It's insane and unreal.
"first heard in the White House that Valerie Plame, wife of Bush administration Joseph Wilson, worked for the CIA from "
Har. Looks like the presstitutes are trying to distance themselves from Mr. Wilson just in case. Toss him to someone else like a hot baked potato.
It just seems like a total dud. I don't know. If it ever leads to trouble for Rove or Cheney, then it's not a total dud. But I really don't get anything from this story. It seems like a bunch of crap about nothing.
Matt Cooper testified that he spoke to both Libby and Rove. Cooper testified that Rove said, "Oh, you heard that too?" Cooper took that as a second source corroborating his lead. However, it appears that perhaps Cooper mentioned it to Libby, Libby mentioned it to Rove, and Rove confirmed that he heard about it to Cooper. Cooper never had a second source if Rove was only repeating Cooper's original words to Libby back to him.
Cooper would have needed an independent source, and Rove/Libby are hardly independent of each other.
-PJ
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