Posted on 10/26/2005 9:36:57 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
A special prosecutor who has spent nearly two years investigating the leak of a CIA agent's identity is not expected to announce his long-awaited conclusions on Wednesday.
Sources told FOX News that no indictments or other legal action were expected just yet by the federal grand jury investigating the leak.
Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney in Chicago, was making his final presentation to the 18-member grand jury on Wednesday. The jury's term expires on Friday.
Meanwhile, the White House was attempting to go about its normal business, albeit under a very dark cloud: two top aides, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and Karl Rove, are at the center of the probe, and on Tuesday lawyers involved in the case revealed Vice President Dick Cheney may have tipped off Libby, his chief of staff, to the agent's identity.
Fitzgerald and the grand jury convened at the U.S. District Courthouse at 9 a.m. EDT, just two days before the jury's term is set to expire. Until then, when they decide to announce their findings is entirely at their discretion. Fitzgerald also has the option to extend the grand jury's term.
On Tuesday, investigators interviewed neighbors of the woman at the heart of the case, Valerie Plame. Marc Lefkowitz, who lives across the street from Plame, was interviewed by two FBI agents who arrived at his house without notice, his wife told FOX News. Lefkowitz was asked if he knew that Plame worked for the CIA before her name appeared in a July 14, 2003, column by Robert Novak.
Lefkowitz's wife told FOX News that she and her husband believed Plame was "some kind of consultant," and did not know she worked for the CIA.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Cheney is cleared to receive that kind of information and Tenet is under no restriction to provide it to him. I suspect that Libby also had a need to know clearance if it was germane to his job. It was. Wilson was making allegations that the VP's office sent him to Niger. Why are they going after any of them? We all know why.
Oh, the VP is cleared and can make ANY classified info public without legal consequence.
<<<<
If Tenet told Cheney and Cheney told Libby, Why aren't they going after Tenet?
>>>>>
1) Because a CIA chief is SUPPOSED to tell the VP and/or the POTUS what he knows and has discovered.
2) Because Libby is the VP's chief of staff and he is supposed to know classified information.
But the buck should stop at Libby or Cheney.
When classified info is given to either of them, it behooves them to KEEP THEM CLASSIFIED, NOT LEAK THEM TO ANYONE.
It would be Tenet's fault if he shared classified info with others OTHER THAN Cheney or Libby or The President or anyone within the President's inner circle.
We are getting very close to the point where it has to be now, and it has to be public.
That's sure an interesting thought. You could be right!
The real question is why do they want to know if the neighbors knew? There are only two possible reasons that I can think of: 1) They think she really was undercover during the relevant time period, or 2) They think that Wilson and/or Plame lied to the grand jury about whether she was undercover.
Here's another theory. Someone who isn't being talked about much, of a lower-level than Libby / Rove, got ratted out by a reporter on providing info on Emma Peel. That person, in Fitzgerald's sites, starts singing like a bird that it was covered up by Libby / Rove et al - or worse, that he was ordered to do it. And all the rest has been trying to pin it on higher-ups - classic scandal style.
This theory does depend, necessarily, on her having covert status at some point after July 1998. And, as I've said repeatedly, none of us know whether she did or not.
Maybe they are investigating Plame and Wilson to see if they were abiding by the Agency's cover rules. OTOH, they may be trying to determine how widespread the knowledege of her employment was and whether her "outing" was all that significant to justify indicting anyone.
That is my guess as well because it is the only thing that makes sense to me at this point.
On the other hand, Andrea Mitchell says on the air a few months ago that it was common knowledge in DC "circles" that she did work at the CIA. I thought the law stated the CIA had to be taking measures to keep her covert status secret in order for this law to apply. Just because your neighbor doesn't have full knowledge of what you do, doesn't mean the CIA was taking measures to keep it under wraps.
Try reading it again. I said cleared to receive it. Not to disseminate it to those without a security clearance.
CBS News chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports the prosecutor has informed targets of the investigation of his intentions – and that can only mean indictments.
src: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/26/politics/main981236.shtml
There was an interesting dust up last night with ABC news and I think it would be fitting if Fitz' only indictment was against someone in his own office for leaking.
I'm beginning to think Fitzgerald is having fun stroking the press.
There seem to be conflicting reports as to whether or not the neighbors knew she was CIA......still it seems rather strange that the FBI would be doing these last minute surprise interviews.
The Day That Changed Everything XXII has been postponed.
I thought that it was well established that she was no longer undercover, and that there was no crime in revealing her identity because of that fact.
Intelesting. Vely intelesting.
If there is no annoucements of resignations, then Rove and Libby are in the clear, let's hope, knock on wood, throw the salt, and pray!
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