[Erik Latranyi]

What is most disturbing here is that we still do not know if Valerie Plame was a covert agent or not.

Fitzgerald has not addressed that issue.

That should have been his first act....determine if the statute covers Valerie Plame. If not, this should have stopped right there. No subpoenas for reporters' notes, no grand jury, etc.

This is another example of a prosecutor that keeps extending the bounds of his investigation until he finds a "gotcha".

[MNJohnnie]

This is another example of a prosecutor that keeps extending the bounds of his investigation until he finds a "gotcha".

I agree. I think Fritz knew he would be in for it from the Dinosaur Media if he did NOT indite SOMEONE. This whole Libby deal is a way to keep the media off his back rather then admit there is NOTHING here.

[RightFighter]

Actually, the Libby indictment makes it pretty clear that Fitzgerald thinks she WAS COVERT prior to this whole episode. The judgment that he hasn't made is whether anyone violated the IIPA by discussing her with reporters - that would require him to determine that people knowingly gave up classified information, which his investigation hasn't yet determined.

[norwaypinesavage]

"What is most disturbing here is that we still do not know if Valerie Plame was a covert agent or not. Fitzgerald has not addressed that issue."

We know that Plame is NOT a covert agent. Fitzgerald has addressed that through his silence.

[Mrs.Simpson]

What I heard Fitz say was this...."we are not saying that she was covert" referring to the press conference.

That`s what I heard,did anyone else hear that,or was it just me? If I heard it right,then why is nobody else mentioning this?

He did not say she was not covert,but that,"we are not saying that she was covert" Anyway,that`s what I believe I heard?

[Paladin2]

"Fitzgerald has not addressed that issue."

There are any number of issues of fact that Fitz has not investigated. This guy has taken two years to do a 1/4 a**ed job of "investigation". It's a fraud.

[lastchance]

Perhaps someone can refresh my memory. But wasn't there a friend of court brief filed by several newspapers when J. Miller was arrested that claimed she had done nothing wrong because V. Plame's identity was already known and that Plame was not a covert agent of the CIA?

[Taliesan]

That should have been his first act....determine if the statute covers Valerie Plame. If not, this should have stopped right there. No subpoenas for reporters' notes, no grand jury, etc.

This is the key which is being ignored. If the statute did not cover her, then there could have been no crime to investigate. If there was no crime, there would be no reason for a grand jury.

You could find out if there was a crime committed in about a day by interviewing her superiors at the CIA to find out what her job was.

I'm not like most on this board: if Libby lied to the Grand Jury, he should be indicted. We argued blue-faced that Clinton should have been prosecuted, no matter the underlying reason, for the simple reason that the most humble citizen doesn't get to lie under oath.

Having said that, I think these special prosecuters have a cushy job, with a huge budget and staff, and no boss to report to on a day to day basis, and so they naturally just DO STUFF BECASUE THEY CAN.

If she was not covert, the grand jury was illegitimate.