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.

[nopardons]

Good post! Thanks for the info.

[StAnDeliver]

Just pinging your good call -- optimism rules! Thanks for noticing.

[StAnDeliver]

"Since you seem to be so in the dark on the Valerie Plame case, and her status in the CIA, I am more than happy to enlighten you, friend."

Let me stick some sunshine where the sun don't shine, zot-fried newbie DUmmie troll.

Victoria Toensing and Bruce Sanford, the co-authors of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act (IIPA) stated flat out that no one can be found criminally liable for outing CIA operative Valerie Plame because she did not meet the definition of "covert agent" under the IIPA. Period. End of sentence. Choke on it.

Now GFY. Oh, wait, I see you already have.