Posted on 10/24/2005 6:28:34 PM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
So which person's testimony says indictments are coming down for Rove and Libby? Straighten that out for me.
I appreciate your kind offer, but I make it a point to stay as far away as possible from such a dangerous place -- full as it is of thieves, cutthroats and blackguards.
Present company excepted, of course.
Good find. He is the site admin for AL Gore in 2008. What a loser.
perjury is possible only if the fact is material..How in the world can it be material to a leak that never occurred that the source was the DCI(Tenet), that he gave the information to Cheney and Libby (cleared to receive it), that it didn't include the fact that she was covert or her name? What utter nonsense!!
Please note the date of the following NYT column.
JUNE 5, 2004
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30712FA3B550C768CDDAF0894DC404482&incamp=archive:search
"June 5, 2004, Saturday
Cheney Reportedly Interviewed In Leak of C.I.A. Officer's Name
By DAVID JOHNSTON (NYT)
Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 1 , Column 1
" Informed sources say Vice Pres Dick Cheney was interviewed by federal prosecutors, who asked whether he knew of anyone at White House who had improperly disclosed identity of undercover CIA officer; say Cheney was also asked about conversations with senior aides, including his chief of staff I Lewis Libby; say Cheney was asked whether he knew of concerted effort by White House aides to name officer; it is not clear how Cheney responded; interview is part of grand jury investigation into whether anyone at White House violated federal law that makes it crime to divulge name of undercover officer intentionally; White House officials have denied that senior aides to Pres Bush disclosed name of officer, Valerie Plame, wife of former Amb Joseph C Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak."
As I understand it, Tenet instigated the request to DOJ for the investigation, and that he was compelled by law to do so. What a rat's nest the CIA is (and the FBI, too). Porter Goss has his plate full, but I think he's the best man for this
fumigation.
Wilson went to Niger in Feb 2002. The bogus docs didn't reach U.S. hands until October 2002.
Ergo, Wilson's "expert testimony" on the bogus documents is unadulterated BS (or, alternatively, very incriminating...).
I agree with your post number 78 and apparently so does the NYTimes.
----From the article: "But the notes, now in Mr. Fitzgerald’s possession, also indicate that Mr. Libby first heard about Ms. Wilson — who is also known by her maiden name, Valerie Plame — from Mr. Cheney. That apparent discrepancy in his testimony suggests why prosecutors are weighing false statement charges against him in what they interpret as an effort by Mr. Libby to protect Mr. Cheney from scrutiny, the lawyers said.
The notes do not show that Mr. Cheney knew the name of Mr. Wilson’s wife. But they do show that Mr. Cheney did know and told Mr. Libby that Ms. Wilson was employed by the C.I.A. and that she may have helped arrange her husband’s trip.
Notice how many times the NYTimes mentions her name(in my opinion trying to state categorically, and a good chance also falsely, that that was the main focus of the Tenet-Cheney-Libby conversations) but finally having to admit in the end Cheney might not have known her name(but just because her name wasn't in Libby's notes doesn't mean the libs will believe Cheney didn't know).
IMO this is the biggest non-story and there will be no indictments of Libby or Rove. But I admittedly haven't spent much time reading up on this case so what do I know.
Bennett.
yes, but its going to be more difficult to start the counter offensive from the point at which indictments are issued, the prosecutor has been lauded as a "fair and honest" man by the president, etc.
If frivolous indictments against Bush admin officials are brought forth, while liars like Wilson and Plame are left untouched, we'll know immediately that Fitz is a political hack.
And we'll be correct in assuming he was bought and paid for.
Thank you!
I warned people about this when this "Electorial challenge" occured in January. People called me a crackpot.
Mr. Russert, in a statement, has declined to say exactly what he discussed with Mr. Libby, but said he first learned the identity of Mr. Wilson’s wife in the column by Mr. Novak, which appeared on July 14, 2003.Timmy's being too clever by half. Note carefully: He learned HER IDENTITY in Novak's column. Doesn't say whether, before that, he knew she worked at CIA.
Now, compare that to NBC's statement when Timmy was interviewed by Fitzgerald:
August 9, 2004Note AGAIN he says "he did not know Ms. Plame's name or that she was a CIA operative and that he did not provide THAT information to Mr. Libby".Tim Russert, moderator of NBC's Meet the Press and Washington Bureau Chief of NBC News, was interviewed on Saturday under oath by the Special Prosecutor investigating the leak of a CIA employee's identity last summer. As NBC News previously reported, Mr. Russert was not a recipient of the leak, which resulted in the public disclosure of the name and CIA employment of Valerie Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.
During the interview, Mr. Russert was asked limited questions by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald about a telephone conversation initiated by Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff, in early July of last year. Mr. Russert told the Special Prosecutor that, at the time of that conversation, he did not know Ms. Plame's name or that she was a CIA operative and that he did not provide that information to Mr. Libby. Mr. Russert said that he first learned Ms. Plame's name and her role at the CIA when he read a column written by Robert Novak later that month.
Saturday's interview resulted from a dispute about whether Mr. Russert could be compelled to appear before the grand jury investigating the leak to testify about information provided to him by confidential sources. NBC News, on Mr. Russert's behalf, went to court to prevent such testimony based on the First Amendment. The court rejected the First Amendment arguments in a decision rendered on July 20, 2004 (but not made public until today) and ordered Mr. Russert to provide testimony.
Under an agreement subsequently reached with the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Russert was not required to appear before the grand jury and was not asked questions that would have required him to disclose information provided to him in confidence. Instead, the Special Prosecutor's questions addressed a telephone conversation initiated by Mr. Libby and focused on what Mr. Russert said during that conversation. Mr. Libby had previously told the FBI about the conversation and had formally requested that the conversation be disclosed. The Special Prosecutor can share Mr. Russert's answers with the grand jury.
NBC News President Neal Shapiro released the following statement regarding Saturday's interview:
"Compelling reporters to reveal their newsgathering to government investigators is, in our view, contrary to the First Amendment's guarantee of a free press. In this case, we were able to reach a resolution with the Special Prosecutor that permitted Tim Russert to answer only limited questions focused on what he said during the telephone conversation without revealing any information he learned in confidence."
Just because he didn't mention her name or her CIA status DOES NOT MEAN he didn't mention to Libby that Wilson's wife worked at CIA. Why so coy, Timmy?
Well, this proves Hitlery is smarter than Libby. When asked questions about anything at all related to crimes of the SinkMaster, all the smartest woman in the world could say was "I don't recall" ... "I can't remember" ... "I have no distinct memory of that" ... "I have no recollection of that conversation" ... "I don't know" ...
Now why would it be wrong or a crime to discuss your administration's war plan and the evolving situations, including who was sent to Niger, with your top aide, who is also security cleared?
One of the "rumors" going around last week was that Fitzgerald contacted the Italian authorities about those documents.
I'd like to know why.
This is either tainting the jury pool or trying to get someone in the White House to react, get a future candidate to react and get something on tape that can be used against him.
Does anyone know how the grand jury in DC is chosen. Where do the members come from, all from DC, a 9-1 Dem town or what?
Let's remember the NY Times is personally involved in this case. If I'm Libby I call Wilson, Plame, Judy Miller, Bill Keller, Matt Cooper, etc. Put the press on trial for leaking and Wilson for outing his wife.
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