NYT: Cover-Up Issue Is Seen as Focus in Leak Inquiry [Rove & Libby advised may be in legal jeopardy]

NYTIMES ^ | 10/21/05 | DAVID JOHNSTON

[Pikamax]

Cover-Up Issue Is Seen as Focus in Leak Inquiry By DAVID JOHNSTON

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 - As he weighs whether to bring criminal charges in the C.I.A. leak case, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the special counsel, is focusing on whether Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, and I. Lewis Libby Jr., chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, sought to conceal their actions and mislead prosecutors, lawyers involved in the case said Thursday.

Among the charges that Mr. Fitzgerald is considering are perjury, obstruction of justice and false statement - counts that suggest the prosecutor may believe the evidence presented in a 22-month grand jury inquiry shows that the two White House aides sought to cover up their actions, the lawyers said.

Mr. Rove and Mr. Libby have been advised that they may be in serious legal jeopardy, the lawyers said, but only this week has Mr. Fitzgerald begun to narrow the possible charges. The prosecutor has said he will not make up his mind about any charges until next week, government officials say.

With the term of the grand jury expiring in one week, though, some lawyers in the case said they were persuaded that Mr. Fitzgerald had all but made up his mind to seek indictments. None of the lawyers would speak on the record, citing the prosecutor's requests not to talk about the case.

[counterpunch]

Something occurred to me just now.
All of this talk in the media about possible indictments and possible charges is leaking from somewhere. That much we know.

But we also ought to know that people leak in order to advance their own agendas. So who would gain from these leaks, and why?

I believe the person(s) leaking must be close to the investigation and want to see an indictment on some charges, even if it is only perjury or obstruction of justice. Fitzgerald is probably leaning against indictment and the leaker wants to create a public expectation in order to try to pressure Fitzgerald to file charges.

[Cincinna]

"the lawyers"
Never does say which lawyers or lawyers for whom.

"..Among the charges that Mr. Fitzgerald is considering are perjury, obstruction of justice and false statement - counts that suggest the prosecutor may believe the evidence presented in a 22-month grand jury inquiry shows that the two White House aides sought to cover up their actions, the lawyers said"
How in hell does the NYT know what charges, if any, are being considered?
To think that the OSP under Fitzgerald would leak to the NYT is a joke.
This is all pure speculation and wishful thinking.
This is journalism at its worst, wrapped up and presented like actual news.

[sirchtruth]

believe the person(s) leaking must be close to the investigation and want to see an indictment on some charges, even if it is only perjury or obstruction of justice. Fitzgerald is probably leaning against indictment and the leaker wants to create a public expectation in order to try to pressure Fitzgerald to file charges.

Or, build up a huge expectation, likely knowing nothing will come of it. If Fritzgerald builds a case that revolves around a perceived cover up and not a TRUE outing of an undercover agent this will be the laughing stock indictment of the century only second to Delay's B.S. indictment.

If anyone seems to be lying about anything it's Wilson.

[sirchtruth]

How in hell does the NYT know what charges, if any, are being considered? To think that the OSP under Fitzgerald would leak to the NYT is a joke.

BUT, why would they know all this unless,
A: Someone is truly giving them info.
B: They are making biased guesses.
C: They are TOTALLY making it up.

I mean I realize we can't put it pass these irrelevant prix to make it all up, but man that would be so slimey and biased of them.

Furthermore, If he indicts any adm official for "cover up" of something that's not even a crime, it will make Fitzgerald look like he was on nothing but a partisan witch hunt!

[counterpunch]

Or, build up a huge expectation, likely knowing nothing will come of it

That doesn't make sense as a motive at all.
These leaks do not help Rove in any way.
Should the investigation end without indictment, many partisans will feel that justice was not served, especially after getting pumped up by reports that indictments are in the works. With the conspiratorial mindset of the typical leftwing nutjob, one can only imagine what rumors will be floating around as to why no one got indicted in the end.

The only plausible motive for the rumors is that someone is trying create momentum in the public for an indictment in order to make Fitzgerald feel obligated to being some.

[counterpunch]

obligated to bring some.

[sirchtruth]

These leaks do not help Rove in any way.

I may be totally off base, but doesn't this make MSM/dem look more rabid and out of touch? The NYT will look like the partisan hacks they are if NOTHING comes of this...I beleive this is nothing more than political so anything can happen.

Wilson himself proved how political this thing was when he LIED to congress.

[counterpunch]

I may be totally off base, but doesn't this make MSM/dem look more rabid and out of touch?

I think you're totally off base.
Most people outside of the fever swamps just don't think that way. It just doesn't accomplish anything practical.
You think some insider with enough credibility for the media to talk to would be misleading them just so he can say, "You got punk'd!"?
This is Washington DC, where people typically aim a bit higher.

Someone somewhere close to this investigation is trying to influence its development in the final stages in a profound and fundamental way.

[sirchtruth]

It just doesn't accomplish anything practical.

This happened all the time with Clinton. And it was huge! I wish I could remember at this moment the specific instance, but it happened more than once effectively.

I'm not disagreeing with your theory, I'm just arguing it's just as valid to put out erroneous info to build up a fevor and then a huge NOTHING bomb drops and it makes people look like idiots for their rabid speculations.

The left has been totally out of it for years now, except for thinking they were right on WMD, I can't find one instance where they've been right about anything, can you?

[Skip1]

Perhaps the NYT lawyers put out possible indictments of Rove & Libby to cover for Judith Miller. When I read the NYT article distance them from Miller, it states that Miller remembered notes WHEN THE WHITE HOUSE gave PROOF of their existence to the special prosecutor. So, if the White House gave this information to the Prosecutor, then Rove & Libby have nothing to hide. I bet you Miller tried to cover her** & that's why Rove came back a fourth time to testify to the grand jury. This still does not mean that Fitzgerald won't indict, Rove & Libby but it to me it does raise some hope he doesn’t.

[Just A Nobody]

Republicans are gentlemenSTUPID WHINEY JELLY FISHES, and Dems are thugs.

[Just A Nobody]

Just getting caught up on my Friday reading.

I find it difficult to avoid the amount of hot air that is being bandied about regarding the non-story of a non-outing of a non-covert agent.

Now, it appears the hard core "conservatives" are having Libby and Rove do the "frog march" off the proverbial plank. What a joke this all is.

Thanks for posting that thread. I jumped over and read it. Will go back to it shortly. There are some real winners on that one!

[Reactionary]

I like how Plame thinks she's set this up.

The liberal CIA skank sets up a little deal with fellow liberals in the CIA and journalists in the MSM to discredit the evil Boosh. She sends her brainy husband to Niger, who then returns and picks a very public fight with the administration during a time of war.

And then? Dear Val and her liberal pals are quite sure that if anyone asks who the hell send Joey to Niger, well, they're in deep trouble. Why? Because Val is under cover, see? No questions allowed.

What this is about is a rogue CIA operation against the President. It has nothing to do with the mythology the left has created.

[patriciamary]

You are so right,they should be charged ! This all all such bull shit.

[AliVeritas]

Check out Just One Minute's take:

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2005/10/libby_remembers.html

[piasa]

One guy who would know, who worked at the White House around the right times, and who is a pal of Richard Clarke, Joe Wilson, John Kerry, and Ray McGovern, is a guy named Rand Beers, who resigned his position at the White House about March 15th.

"After a decade with the National Security Council, President William J. Clinton appointed Beers first principal deputy assistant secretary of state, and then assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs (1998). Beers remained in this position for four years, returning to the National Security Council in 2002 as special assistant and senior director for combating terrorism.

"Beers left the Bush administration in March 2003, signing on with Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA) as national security adviser for Kerry's 2004 presidential election bid."------From the American President.org (http://www.americanpresident.org/history/bushgeorgew/bushIIstaffadvisers/nationalsecurity/nationalsecuritycouncil/terrorism/randbeers/h_index.shtml) Web Site

"However it was viewed inside the administration, onlookers saw it as a rare Washington event. 'I can't think of a single example in the last 30 years of a person who has done something so extreme,' said Paul C. Light, a scholar with the Brookings Institution. 'He's not just declaring that he's a Democrat. He's declaring that he's a Kerry Democrat, and the way he wants to make a difference in the world is to get his former boss out of office.'"[4] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62941-2003Jun15.html?nav=hptop_tb)

[piasa]

And Rand Beers was involved in this stuff ;

1990s : (RAND BEERS IS ONE OF TWO NSC EMPLOYEES BRIEFED BY THE FBI ON THE CHINESE TRYING TO BUY INFLUENCE ON CONGRESS; also see BEERS' FALSE AFFIDAVIT TO BLOCK THE DYNCORPS SUIT CONCERNING ECUADORIAN FARMERS) Beers was also a central figure in Chinagate. Clinton said he'd have been more careful if he'd known what the FBI did--that the Chinese were trying to buy influence in Congress. The FBI said they'd briefed 2 NSC employees (one of whom was Beers) on this very issue. Clinton responded that the FBI had told those they'd briefed not to pass the info up the chain. The FBI denied that.(I credit their denial. What reason would they have had for such a restriction on the information?)
Thereafter Beers was twice promoted by Albright.
Then came the false affidavit to block the DynCorps suit, which Beers amended in a second affidavit in which he admitted critical statements in the first affidavit were false.
Depends on what the meaning of "is" is type guy. I have written the Wash Post editors and ombudsman complaining of this reporting--it was written by a lazy reporter or one who was simply acting as a conduit for a candidate. 21 posted on 06/17/2003 10:10:17 AM PDT by the Real fifi

Sidenote : China lurks in the background of the Africa uranium cases, too... along with South Africa.

NOVEMBER 27, 2001 : (RAND BEERS BACKTRACKS) Senator Kerry's [future] national security adviser had to take back comments he made under oath in 2002 to a federal court that members of a Colombian paramilitary group received training from Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
[snip][Beers] took the unusual step on November 27, 2001 of filing a declaration in favor of Dyncorp, the main contractor in charge of spraying defoliating agents on the coca crops grown in the Putumayo region of the country. Dyncorp sought to have a court challenge brought on behalf of Ecuadorian farmers thrown out of court on national security grounds.
[snip]On this matter Mr. Beers, who [in 2004] coordinates the national security message for Mr. Kerry, may be guilty of the same thing his boss has accused President Bush of doing -- distorting intelligence to suit the goals of a specific policy.-------- "Key Aide to Kerry amends Testimony Givien under Oath.,"

[YaYa123]

Have you seen George Soros sponsored, John Podesta run organization website?

http://www.thinkprogress.org/leak-scandal

interesting the only name not mentioned is Rand Beers

[YaYa123]

here

[YaYa123]

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