Wilson/Plame/CIA: Something's Rotten

self

[kedshouse]

Something is very rotten, and mostly unreported in the Wilson/Plame leak case. Stephen Hayes has written three very fine articles about Joe Wilson, his lack of credibility and the CIA's hypocrisy and what would seem obvious role in the leak investigation. http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/281pokap.asp http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/266weygj.asp http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/244chpdw.asp

Now, to what's rotten: Before we all move on or get too narrowly focused, and I know it's not part of the indictment, however, two aspects of the whole affair (which I think are critically important) that have gotten short shrift by all reporters are these:

1. Why was there no written report from Wilson upon his return from Niger, only an oral debriefing? Is this (can this be) standard operating procedure? Only the debriefers notes evidently were somewhat passed up the chain.

Reporters should have been asking or at least reporting: 1. Is this CIA standard practice on what was apparently a serious matter? 2. How often does the CIA send someone on a fact finding mission and not require written observations? This type of sloppy procedure should have set off alarm bells that something was afoot!

2. Why and how often does the CIA send anyone on a "fact-finding" mission and not require some sort of written non-disclosure agreement? Wouldn't this type of trip have been classified? Per the narrative in the Senate Intelligence Committee report, although the matters themselves were classified (the whole Iraq/Niger potential relationship), the CIA assured Wilson it would keep his role (working for it) secret, yet the CIA did not require that Wilson sign non-disclosure, confidentiality agreements. How does this make any sense!: The area of interest is classified, we will keep your involvement with us secret, but you are free, evidently, to talk and write about the classified issues and your involvement with us! And nobody in the oh so vaunted media picks up on this? In whose world does this make any sense!

Are we to assume that the lead foreign intelligence agency, the CIA, requires no written documentation of its agents and representatives, when dealing with foreign nations? In a town like DC where it appears every little meeting and phone conversation is written down, how is this possible? How can anyone else independently verify an oral report?

Or does that give the game away? A written report can't be used against someone, so his verbal statements can fluctuate depending on circumstances at his choosing.

These questions get to the heart of the Wilson trip and its intent and suggest that from the CIA's perspective the Wilson trip and his willingness to talk about it and lie about it fit the CIA's bill: point the fingers away from the CIA (where they most definitely were in 2001 and 2002) and at anyone else ... the WH was as good as anyone else.

This is the real story, because if this shoddiness and rogue behavior is the rule and not the exception for the CIA, it should be disbanded! Every thing else is a deliberate political misdirection!

[M Kehoe]

If true, why has it not been reported anywhere else?

It was reported on 17 July 2003 by one of the legacy media. I don't remember which one. I don't have the link now, but it is true. The cake came out of the one nuke plant Saddam still had standing at the end of the war.

5.56mm

[oyez]

The Clinton administration has too many hold overs still working the CIA. Their loyalties are not in our nation's best interest.

[norton]

"Plame nominated Wilson for the job - as an adjunct to a personal business trip he already had planned..."

It used to be fairly common to debrief business travelers etc. without having them submit formal documents; it's not considered as coming from an agent but the source would be identified by number and the debriefing presented as third person.

What's stunning here is that most of these travelers stay quiet lest they foul their relations over seas. What's stunning here is that most people who are married to a spook either remain silent or in the dark. What is REALLY stunning is that this jerk broke both standards; he bragged about going spying for the CIA/VP and invited scrutiny by doing so; outed himself as a jerk and his wife as a CIA employee.

The only individual endangered in this stunt (individual - not nation or society) is some lonely diplomat's girl friend.

[LibWrangler]

You're missing the point.

Wilson's complaint was that Cheney should have known, but it was not kicked up to that level.

The point being, it was deemed an oral report not worth kicking up 4 levels, and when it was later repeated, months and months later, Wilson pretended surprise that his report was "ignored"-but it was ignored by lower levels months before.

The big question is this:

If Plame was a high-level analyst with enough clout to send her husband to Niger, then why didn't she make sure Wilson's report was kicked upstairs for over a year?

[Steve_Seattle]

"If Plame was a high-level analyst with enough clout to send her husband to Niger, then why didn't she make sure Wilson's report was kicked upstairs for over a year?"

I think it's because the report really didn't contain anything new or substantial. Do you really think Wilson made a serious, professional investigation in his eight days there, especially when he was mixing in personal business along with the investigation? No, it was a token, BS report, probably the minimum that Wilson could get away with in exchange for the CIA picking up the tab for his trip.

[kedshouse]

This gets to part of my point. From reading the Senate Intelligence Committee's report, it is very clear that from the CIA's vantage point, this whole area and question about Niger and Iraq was classified. To allow or facilitate classified subject matter to be publicly disclosed as a result of someone involved (Wilson) not being paid seems strange. I must reiterate, because of the lack of reporting, we don't know if this is CIA SOP, maybe it is? It just seems to me to be a case that someone or some group in the CIA set the conditions for this to become public. Even, as noted by the Senate, Valerie Plame is supposed to have told her husband something like "There's this crazy report that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger".

[hnorris]

Why was there no written report from Wilson upon his return from Niger, only an oral debriefing?

There was a written report published on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times.

[kedshouse]

Question: Can this whole thread be moved (if possible, how)to the "CIA Leak (Plame)" thread?

[hnorris]

she divulged her covert status to him during casual sex

Is this typical of Covert CIA Agents? How did we manage to win the Cold War?

[DJ Taylor]

"I believe it is fairly obvious that our "own" CIA is running a covert operation against the Executive Branch.

I have been told by those who should know that you would have had to have been a government employee in one of the "alphabet" agencies when Clinton took office to fully understand what is going on here. Immediately following Clinton's inaugeration, a "Night of the Long Knives" took place. Democrat political activists were appointed as directors of these agencies and the first thing they did was to force the agencies' leadership into retirement. As soon as they had forced a department head out, a Democrat partisan from within the agency was promoted to replace him. Homosexuals, feminists, and minorities were promoted over people many years their senior, and now this Democrat loyal leadership is doing everything in their power to help the Democrats regain power.

[LibWrangler]

No I don't think there was anything substantial in it. We know there wasn't, now.

But at the time, Plame didn't know that-the CIA didn't know it (according to them).

So I think it's very relevant to ask, WHY didn't Plame make sure Wilson's report was given attention?

Wasn't that the whole point of going, to find out one way or the other? He made a conclusion, came back with it, and his own wife, who sent him on the trip---disregarded it.

NOBODY CARED. Why? His own wife didn't care what his findings were, to the degree that his oral report was never conveyed to any other levels.

Yet Wilson claims he went around Washington trying to get "the administration" to take note of it. Why would they, if Plame and the CIA didn't think it important?

[MamaLucci]

The dems doth protest too much...........they are desperately trying to divert
attention from SOMETHING, IMHO.

[popdonnelly]

"He got it in Niger...but in the 1970's."

Yellowcake is mined in Niger even as we write, by a Niger/French consortium. And, the French were apparently behind the forged documents which were used to debunk the Niger story.

[Cautor]

"I believe it is fairly obvious that our "own" CIA is running a covert operation against the Executive Branch"

I think that's exactly right. One can only hope Porter Goss has what it takes to get rid of some of those who were behind this effort to get the Bush administration. It's seems clear Plame and her bosses are involved, possibly as an effort to deflect blame for their complete ineptness regardng the WMD thing.

[kedshouse]

Your point is right on the mark. That this is/was a liberal, Democratic and media strategy is evidenced by what the Senate committee DID NOT agree on: that Plame was involved in sending Wilson to Niger. Pat Roberts in his addendum memo talks about this, particularly that, even with there being written documentation that Plame recommended Wilson, and statements by some in the CIA that she mentioned Wilson, the Democrats still refused to agree with the conclusion that she was involved! They knew that agreeing to that conclusion would place the whole Wilson matter in a different light. It might suggest coordination (collusion?). The Dems were adamant that Wilson be viewed as independent, and therefore, as credible. Read the body of the report about Wilson's trip and you realize that for Dems to resist the obvious conclusion about Plame's involvement is the height of hubris!

[jw777]

DEMS JUST THROWING THE KITCHEN SINK AT BUSH, HOPING SOMETHING HITS HIM.

CONSERVATIVES UNITE. TIME TO DESTROY THE DEM PARTY ONCE AND FOR ALL.

[popdonnelly]

"The Dems were adamant that Wilson be viewed as independent, and therefore, as credible."

Wilson is certainly not independent of the Dems. He served as Ambassador to Gabon under Clinton - a political appointment. And he served on Sandy Berger's National Security Council staff - also a political appointment.

[saleman]

"In February 2002, according to someone present at the meetings, that envoy reported to the C.I.A. and State Department that the information was unequivocally wrong and that the documents had been forged" This from Kristof's story.

This is the first time I've read excerpts from Kristof's story about the Niger trip. Kristof doesn't say Joe Wilson told him the docs had been forged, another source did.

Why does this make any difference? Cause a second party corroborates Wilson's telling at his debriefing about the docs, which supposedly were not unearthed till 8 mo's later!

I know,I've posted this twice, once on another thread, but it just came to me an hour ago. Who is Kristof's source? If Wilson did know about the forged docs in Feb 02,that proves the CIA is trying to undermine The President.

[Edgerunner]

Is Porter Goss doing anything about this situation?

[fantom]

that may be true. but based on his other tales , maybe the libby law team can check his bank records. and hers. just to make sure there were no co mingling of funds. also lets have a disclosure of his expense acct. paid for by us taxpayers. yes?