In probe of CIA leak, two sides see politics (2003 - Wilson outed his wife to Kerry campaign!)

The Boston Globe ^ | October 2, 2003 | Patrick Healy and Wayne Washington

[Dems_R_Losers]

--snip--Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, who said a Bush aide disclosed that his wife is a CIA operative in retaliation for his criticism of the Iraq war, has worked since May as an unpaid adviser to Senator John F. Kerry, offering foreign policy advice and speechwriting tips to the Democratic presidential candidate from Massachusetts. Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie said Wilson's work for Democrats may have motivated him to attack the administration.

--snip--

Rove remained a center of speculation yesterday about the case. Wilson has said that Rove condoned the leak and directed reporters to it after it appeared in a column by Robert Novak.

--snip--

The administration has promised to cooperate in every way it can, but some Republicans expressed anger yesterday at the way Wilson targeted Rove.

"Full disclosure is important here, so people can understand the context of Ambassador Wilson's comments all along," said John Feehery, a spokesman for House Speaker Dennis J. Hastert, Republican of Illinois. "He's certainly not a disinterested party here."

Kerry's advisers acknowledged yesterday that Wilson, who has also donated $2,000 to Kerry this year, told them about his allegations against the White House involving his wife before going public with them this summer. But Rand Beers, Kerry's top adviser on foreign affairs, said the campaign has not played a role in coordinating Wilson's charges.

--snip--

In the time between the State of the Union speech and Wilson's op-ed article, Wilson grew increasingly angry with Bush's leadership during the war and the uncontested assertions about nuclear material, Kerry advisers say. In mid-May, he began talking to Kerry's advisers about helping the campaign; he made his first donation May 23.

[timestax]

bump to the top

[Fedora]

Here's a quick recap on that (clipped from a new piece I'm working on which will add more details):

FARA records show that Jacqueline received at least $790,000 from Gabon for lobbying services related to AIDS policy and other issues from 1998 to 2002, including $100,000 received prior to her registration in June 1998 and $250,000 in the first half of 1999. Meanwhile, in July 1998 Joseph Wilson retired from government service early at the age of 48, leaving behind an estimated $125,000-a-year job for a reduced pension of approximately $50,000 a year, minus any alimony and child support payments, plus income from Plame’s CIA salary and from a new business Wilson launched at that time, J.C. Wilson International Ventures Corporation. The financial terms of the Wilsons’ divorce settlement are unknown. A curious fact is that in one public record posted on a genealogy website the name “Jacqueline C. Wilson” is listed with a phone number [(202) 342-9888] associated with 4612 Charleston Terrace NW in Washington, DC, a home the October 8, 1998 Washington Post records as recently being purchased from Barry Zuckerman Properties for $735,000 by Joseph Wilson and “Valerie E. Wilson”. Wilson’s book states that he and Plame purchased this home in May 1998 after being married for one month.

To which I'll add that prior to purchasing this home, Wilson and Plame were living in an apartment in the Watergate complex which was apparently even more expensive than their new home on Charleston Terrace. Wilson mentioned in his Vanity Fair interview:

They'd first seen the house in 1998, when it was still being built, and they had instantly fallen in love with it. Even so, Plame took some persuading before they made an offer. "She's very frugal," explains Wilson. "My brother who's in real estate had to fly in from the West Coast and explain that a mortgage could cost less than our rented apartment in the Watergate."

[jdhljc169]

Bump

[jdhljc169]

Wilson himself told the Kerry campaign about his wife before he went public! Does anyone now wonder why his wife's identity was "common knowledge" among reporters?

***

I'm confused. I haven't been following this story in the last month or so, so I hope you will bear with me.

How do you get that Wilson told the Kerry campaign about his wife before he went public? I read the whole article and didn't see that. Am I missing something?

TIA

[Names Ash Housewares]

"How do you get that Wilson told the Kerry campaign about his wife before he went public?"

"Kerry's advisers acknowledged yesterday that Wilson, who has also donated $2,000 to Kerry this year, told them about his allegations against the White House involving his wife before going public with them this summer. But Rand Beers, Kerry's top adviser on foreign affairs, said the campaign has not played a role in coordinating Wilson's charges."

[BARLF]

Joe Wilson...1997-1998, Director of African Affairs at National Security Council (Clinton Adm)

March 1998
Official Delegation accompanying the President to Africa
Joe Wilson as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for African Affairs

Susan Rice served as US Assistant Sec. of State for African Affairs from 1997-2001

From 1995-1997, Dr. Rice was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council

Sandy Berger served as Director of National Security Council last four years of Clinton Presidency.

Rand Beers.. From 1988-1998 served on the National Security Council Staff as Director for Counter-terrorism and Counter-narcotics,Director for Peacekeeping,and Sr. Director for Intelligence Programs

From 1998-2003 he was Assist. Secretary of State for Intnt'l. Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

IN 2002-2003 he was Special Asst. to the President and Sr. Director for Combating Terrorism. He resigned in March 2003 to work on John Kerry's Presidential campaign as National Security/ Homeland Security Issue Coordinator.

---

Notice Susan Rice, Sandy Berger, Joe Wilson and Rand Beers all have at least three things in common. They all worked at 1.National Security Council
2. All worked in the Clinton Adm.
3.All joined the Kerry campaign.

[Itzlzha]

Ping this one to you as well, you have been amassing this info, along with peach.

[Itzlzha]

Ooops...I see you are here and posting GREAT material already!

Sorry

[Peach]

Thanks for the ping; I've done relatively little research into this matter as I came to the story late, thinking originally it was so ridiculous that it wouldn't actually go anywhere. You can see how wrong I was :-)

[ravingnutter]

In regards to his appointment to Gabon, per Caspar Wienberger:

If we are to rely on this kind of sloppy tea-drinking "investigation" from a CIA-chosen investigator--a retired ambassador with a less than stellar record--then I would say that the CIA deserves some of the criticism it normally receives.

Not sure what that means...

[KCRW]

Wow- wonder why this is not being blasted all over the MSM? Of course, we know why.

Keep in mind- all of this happened before Kerry won the primary- Joe will continued to work for Kerry for well over a year before the SIC came out with their report that Wilson was lying and Wilson was dumped by Kerry.


I now cannot help but wonder- did the CIA help the Kerry campaign? Remember all of those leaks coming out of the CIA? Stuff like- prisoner abuse, etc........