Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Notes Show

NY Times ^ | 10/24/05 | DAVID JOHNSTON, RICHARD W. STEVENSON and DOUGLAS JEHL

[nj26]

I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003, lawyers involved in the case said Monday.

Notes of the previously undisclosed conversation between Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney on June 12, 2003, appear to differ from Mr. Libby’s testimony to a federal grand jury that he initially learned about the C.I.A. officer, Valerie Wilson, from journalists, the lawyers said.

The notes, taken by Mr. Libby during the conversation, for the first time place Mr. Cheney in the middle of an effort by the White House to learn about Ms. Wilson’s husband, Joseph C. Wilson IV, who was questioning the administration’s handling of intelligence about Iraq’s nuclear program to justify the war.

Lawyers said the notes show that Mr. Cheney knew that Ms. Wilson worked at the C.I.A. more than a month before her identity was made public and her undercover status was disclosed in a syndicated column by Robert D. Novak on July 14, 2003.

[nj26]

Apparently it takes 3 Times reporters to transcribe a leak from Fitzgerald's office...

[gondramB]

If Libby was cleared to recieve the information then why is it relevent who told him?

[StAnDeliver]

It's all chicken and no egg, Pinch. Why? Because she wasn't NOC, she was a desk jockey, and apparently well known inside and outside the Agency. So just eat a salad and relax, hippie. You got nothing.

[piasa]

And what a set of losers they are: ... by DAVID JOHNSTON, RICHARD W. STEVENSON and DOUGLAS JEHL

[oceanview]

it looks like they were holding this leak until this week. all the chatter last week about the "links to Cheney" - this must have been the basis for them.

get ready for a rough week.

[norton]

Am I the only one who failed to see any actual citation of the "notes".
Was all that "...reported.." and "...lawyers said..." stuff persuasive to anyone here??

[gov_bean_ counter]

So Tenent put Ms Plame's name in play?

[StAnDeliver]

On your ocean, maybe, not mine.

[God luvs America]

The notes, taken by Mr. Libby during the conversation, for the first time place Mr. Cheney in the middle of an effort by the White House to learn about Ms. Wilson’s husband, Joseph C. Wilson IV, who was questioning the administration’s handling of intelligence about Iraq’s nuclear program to justify the war.

gotta love the tone of this by the Slimes...nowhere does it mention Wilson lied in the article about the VP sending him to Niger- I could see them saying after his report and the lies contained in it, "who the hell is this guy"...

[COEXERJ145]

Amazing how many freaking "leaks" this grand jury has. If it was a ship, it would have sunk within 5 minutes of being launched.

[oceanview]

fair enough. someone has to be the optimist on these threads, it might as well be you.

[roses of sharon]

LOL, to the NYT bathhouse boys the theater of absurd reigns supreme!

[Linda Sandoval]

I don't trust anything "leaked" by the times. I think we should just wait & pray. I really mean pray.

[counterpunch]

get ready for a rough week.

I don't believe Cheney ever testified before the grand jury.
Since we know that there was no crime committed in the first place, unless Cheney committed some violation of process with Fitzgerald, then there is nothing he can be charged with.

[lugsoul]

You beat me to it while I was posting this...

My comment there was:

The NYT is trying to make up for the Judy mess. The question is - who (outside of Fitzgerald's office) would know that questions were being asked about these notes? Judy's lawyer comes to mind.

"Did Mr. Libby tell you that the Vice-President told him about Ms. Wilson?"

Judy, stung by the criticism from within, may be seeking redemption. [i.e., sending her lawyer out to scoop for the Times]

[Zeppo]

I'm not a lawyer (thankfully!) but if Fitzgerald has Libby's own notes, wouldn't it be hard for him to claim that Libby was obstructing justice if his testimony differs from his notes (as opposed to fuzzy memory of long-ago events)? I have had personal experience with trying to recall long-ago conversations, only to later find a contemporaneously-written note that appered to conflict with my memory of the event.

[ez]

Monday's gone. Three more days to annouce indictments or extend the probe.

The DUers must be positively nerve-wracked.

[nj26]

"I have had personal experience with trying to recall long-ago conversations, only to later find a contemporaneously-written note that appered to conflict with my memory of the event."

That's probably their best defense. Mistaken recollection of their conversations about a nobody like Joe Wilson.

[Shermy]

"So Tenent put Ms Plame's name in play?"

He might have just said "wife."

Naturally Cheney would want to know about Wilson. By that time Wilson was leaking to the press that he was sent to Niger at the behest of the VP's office. Wilson also leaked, falsely again, that he debunked something and the Administration was hiding it.

[dufekin]

It looks like Dick Cheney's vice presidency will not survive the year; he shall go to jail to do hard labor for a minimum of five years and forever shall he be denied any medical care whatsoever.

The question: if Bush stands still, who will he select for the office of the vice-presidency? (Remember, the Senate confirmation requires 61 affirmative votes.) And if not, how would Speaker Hastert do as President with Democrats in control of both houses of Congress? Or will he, too, fall? And then, who becomes vice president?