Posted on 11/03/2005 7:57:10 AM PST by InvisibleChurch
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005 10:17 a.m. EST Questions Raised about Tim Russert's Story
NBC Washington bureau chief Tim Russert told Leakgate probers that he had no idea Joe Wilson's wife Valerie Plame was a CIA employee before her name surfaced in Robert Novak's fateful July 14, 2003 column, and that he was stunned upon learning that Lewis "Scooter" Libby claimed he got that information from him.
But an account by senior NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell raises questions about whether Mr. Russert may have known about Plame's employment well before the Novak column.
On Oct. 3, 2003, Mitchell was a guest on CNBC's now-defunct "Capital Report," where she was asked by host Alan Murray:
"Do we have any idea how widely known it was in Washington that Joe Wilson's wife worked for the CIA?"
Mitchell replied: "It was widely known among those of us who cover the intelligence community and who were actively engaged in trying to track down who among the foreign service community was the envoy to Niger. So a number of us began to pick up on that."
Mitchell's "widely known" characterization flatly contradicts assertions last Friday by Leakgate Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who repeatedly insisted that Plame's association with the CIA "was not widely known."
But perhaps more importantly, if Plame's work was an open secret in media circles [according to Mitchell], how is it that her boss, Mr. Russert, who - as NBC Washington bureau chief was presumably monitoring developments in "the intelligence community" as they related to the Wilson story - would have been oblivious to this same "widely known" information?
In fact, according to the text of Fitzgerald's indictment, Libby's version of events more closely matches Mitchell's on the subject of who knew about Plame's employment.
Fitzgerald said Libby claimed:
"During a conversation with Tim Russert of NBC News on July 10 or 11, 2003, Russert asked LIBBY if LIBBY was aware that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA. LIBBY responded to Russert that he did not know that, and Russert replied that all
the reporters knew it." [Page 11 of Libby's Indictment]
None of this means that Mr. Libby actually told the truth and that Fitzgerald's star witness against him, Tim Russert, perhaps didn't.
But Mr. Russert might want to clear the air and explain how he managed to stay in the dark about key information in a case that was the talk of the town in early July 2003 - while the same information was "widely known," according a senior reporter who worked under him.
And, Fitzgerald's report doesn't point out that the ONLY proper response from Libby to Russert's question was to deny he knew that, because if he confirmed it, then he WOULD be guilty of divulging classified information!
So if I know it, but you don't KNOW that I know it........
Note: Andrea Mitchell is Alan Greenspan's wife.
Russert has to be a big-time witness in the Libby trial.
Look for the LSM to start downplaying the Libby situation, paving the way for it to quietly go away before they all get snared up in it.
All the MSM rant is about WH people being called to the trial, I wonder what reaction they will have when half the Washington pressitutes are called as witnesses, and 99.9% of them plead the 5th.
Joe Wilson on Larry King,
"Now, I'm prepared to think the worst of Karl Rove ever since he told Chris Matthews that my wife was fair game. And that's tough for me because Karl and I go to the same church. We go to different services, we go to the same church. I know his wife's name because we get a church newsletter. So, why he wouldn't know my wife's name, perhaps he doesn't read the newsletter."
I believe there are also reporters and other inside the beltway politicians that go to this church.
If it's Libby's word vs. Russert's, then why did they not indict Russert?
"Presstitutes" -- "LSM" -- great new words.
R-U-S-S-E-R-T
P-I-N-G!
Russert, Miller, Cooper, PLame, Wilson, are all going to by called to testify in Libby's trail. And...they won't be asked the softball questions they got from Fitzgerald. IMHO there will be no trail. Fitzgerald will accept a plea bargain and make this whole thing go away. Fitzgerald, the MSM and the Democrat Party will want to make this go away. Give it a couple of months and watch is evaporate into thin air!!!
The Grand Jury indictment prepared by Mr Fitzmas specifies that Valerie Plame's employment by the CIA was classified "Secret" until July 14, 2003 (date of Novak's column).
So anyone who knew it or talked about it before then.......
Except for the thousands of people in Washington DC and in State Department and its embassies all over the world... who may be considered part of the "intelligence community" of course....(which does NOT include no-clearance Joe Wilson, who has screwed his own pooch by bragging that he shared his poor wronged wife's identity with the Kerry campaign before Novak's story broke....ha ha ha)...
broke the law.
What a joke.
Fitzgerald's report may want to plant that seed, but the indictment doesn't depend on that at all.
Libby could have told investigators that he knew Plame worked at the CIA, and that he told Russert, Cooper and Miller that Plame worked at the CIA. In fact, the indictment asserts that - but guess what, no crime! Libby didn't disclose classified information, or out a covert agent.
He didn't want to admit telling reporters (but he should have admitted that), because doing so would be spun like a political dirty trick. Well, that water is over the dam - it is being spun. But the dicussions with reporters were perfectly legal.
It's looking more and more like a ...Vast Left Wing Conspiracy!
As potentially important as this info is,it would be useless to present it to a DC jury.If this matter goes to trial and the trial is held in DC,Libby doesn't have a prayer.
Mitchell's "widely known" characterization flatly contradicts assertions last Friday by Leakgate Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who repeatedly insisted that Plame's association with the CIA "was not widely known."<<
Fitzgerald has indicted his ham sandwich, now a defense can be presented. No one was indicted for outing Valley Girl Val. Maybe because no one could, she was already out.
DK
Agree. with. every. single. thing. you. said.
This will evaporate faster than the Clintoon "War on Terror."
Does Libby have to say "that's classified"? to Tim? Of course not. That's just like saying: "Valerie is an agent for the CIA just as you've indicated. I know it and you know it. My question is (by Libby) How did you know it Tim?
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