Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago

Washington Post ^ | November 15, 20005 | Jim VandeHei and Carol D. Leonnig

[Dave S]

How do we know it's "not Andy Card"? Was he one of Woodward's inteviews?

Yes he was one of the three interviews. It was either Woodward or the Washington Post that said Woodward got a release from Andy Card today that allowed him to publicly disclose that Andy Card did not discuss Wilson and Plame and that they were not his source.

Libby was another interview but Woodward doesnt recall discussing with him. However since part of the reason for that was to give a list of questions to Cheney which included question about Wilson and Plame that negates Cheney. If Cheney had been the source, Woodward wouldnt be listing that as a question to ask Cheney. So therefore I think its Powell or Hadley. Most likely Powell.

[A Citizen Reporter]

"I heard part of the Fox panel where someone said we now KNOW Woodward's original source is a FORMER official. Did I miss a development today? How do we "know" it?"

I'm interested in the answer to that question as well. What I got from Brit Hume's show, was first Joe DeGenova saying that it was a "former" official. Then on the panel, they discussed what Woodward said.

We need to look at a transcript of that show, because, I do not remember it specifically. They talked about Woodward saying that he got his info from "former and current" administration officials, and that they knew the 2 current, so that left the former.

[Timeout]

In essense, I think you have it right.

Now that Dave told me Andy Card has been revealed as one of the sources, we know TWO of Woodward's interviews: Card and Libby. Woodward's statement refers to "... interviews I conducted with three current or former Bush administration officials...". Assuming Woodward wasn't referring to Libby as a "former" official, that means the person who DID discuss "Wilson's wife" had to be the "former" official.

(I'll note again that Woodward never referred to a SENIOR administration official. The Post made that up in its first paragraph.)

[Purrcival]

Also, I believe Cheney said that his office did NOT send Wilson, and Wilson never issued any kind of report to the Vice President's office (sort of strange, if the Veep commissioned him, right?).

[the Real fifi]

I expect that having put in day after day os 14 hours of hard work, countless conversations and heavy pressures he didn't have time to continually review all the thousands of email messages, 5,000 some pages of notes and records. In any event from what I can see from this cockamaie indictment the questions were so unclear he seems to me to be describing his state of mind (non disclosing sources to reporters) during the conversations.

[SmoothTalker]

"The only one left to stick his nose into this mess is Jessie Jackson
"

Just you wait. He'll find a way.

[bray]

Poor Mathews and Frankenstein were hoping for Rove's head for Fitzmas and ended up with an ACME bomb!!

Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters

[stylin19a]

I was alway thinking Tenet, (or some other Clinton ass-clown) but....
whoa...after reading your post, why does Richard Clarke come to mind ?
Novak said we'd be surprised.
Seems Clarke would be someone that Woodward would interview.

This is almost as good as "What's in Capone's vault ?".

[txrangerette]

In posts # 84 and # 108, by okie01, it talks about a setback to Fitzgerald's timeline.

I took this as factual in that I think the poster is honest and meant it to be so, and I did not see it refuted, though I've been too busy to read every post. The statement is made that Libby could have known from a reporter source BEFORE he learned it otherwise, based on Woodward's statement. So I just assumed 2+2 = 4 and that this conversation had to predate when Libby discussed it with Cheney.

If untrue, I stand corrected. I would like to know what 0kie01 was using to bolster this line of thought, so I have pinged him/her.

[kabar]

Clinton's impeachment is the equivalent of an indictment. He was tried in the Senate. Nice Try.

Wrong. There is a big difference.

[kabar]

You keep shifting the focus from Libby to Clinton. Different circumstances. Clinton was never even indicted.

[kabar]

The fact that anyone reportedly as smart as Libby could forget discussing Wilson and his wife and how to deal with the issue with the press with seven people prior to talking to any reporters.

You are assuming that everything in the indictment is a fact. That said, Libby was COS for the VP of the United States. He probably worked 10 to 12 hours a day at least six days a week. He was dealing with many people covering a wide range of subjects. I worked in the USG for over 35 years at an executive level most of the time with no where near the responsibilities Libby had. I know I couldn't go back two years and recount the vast majority of conversations and the timing of them.

The fact that Cheney, two people at the CIA and one at the State Department told him that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA and that she had sent him to Africa. That the CIA and State Departments told him this in response to his request for that information. The fact that a week before he supposedly told Russert, he had lunch with Ari Fleischer and told him, perhaps hoping that he would spread the word. How can all this happen and Libby not remember or fail to mention it.

Because he was dealing with many more important issues. Again, you are assuming that everything in the indictment is true and that you know all the circumstances surrounding these events. You are getting one side of the story. Pincus doesn't recall Woodward tipping him off about Plame.

He latched on to this reporter story, true or not, to avoid discussing the other sources of his knowledge from a political embarrasment standpoint. ,/i>

Pure speculation on your part.

[kabar]

So O.J. didnt kill his wife?

It doesn't matter what I think. The justice system's verdict is the one that counts. OJ lost the civil suit, but was deemed not guilty for the criminal charges.

[stylin19a]

Here's Fitz's timeline in the indictment on what Fitz says Libby knew and when he knew it:

- In or about early June 2003, LIBBY learned from the Vice
President that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA in the
Counterproliferation Division;

- On or about June 11, 2003, LIBBY was informed by a senior
CIA officer that Wilson's wife was employed by the CIA and
that the idea of sending him to Niger originated with her;

- On or about June 12, 2003, LIBBY was informed by the
Under Secretary of State that Wilson's wife worked for the
CIA;

- On or about June 14, 2003, LIBBY discussed Joe Wilson
and Valerie Wilson with his CIA briefer, in the context of
Wilson's trip to Niger;

- On or about June 23, 2003, LIBBY informed reporter Judith
Miller that Wilson's wife might work at a bureau of the CIA;

- On or about July 7, 2003, LIBBY advised the White House
Press Secretary that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA;

- In or about June or July 2003, and in no case later than on or about July 8, 2003, LIBBY was advised by the Assistant to the Vice President for Public Affairs that
Wilson's wife worked for the CIA

- On or about July 8, 2003, LIBBY advised reporter Judith
Miller of his belief that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA; and

- On or about July 8, 2003, LIBBY had a discussion with the
Counsel to the Office of the Vice President concerning the
paperwork that would exist if a person who was sent on an
overseas trip by the CIA had a spouse who worked at the CIA;

[Political Junkie Too]

Clinton was never even indicted.

Clinton was never indicted because he agreed to a deal with Robert Ray on his last day in office. He agreed to admit that he mislead the grand jury, he agreed to pay a fine, he agreed to give up his Arkansas law license for five years, and he agreed to not seek reimbursement for court costs related to the perjury and obstruction charges in exchange for Ray not indicting him when he left office.

-PJ

[txrangerette]

Ping to # 389, please...

[kabar]

Clinton was never indicted because he agreed to a deal with Robert Ray on his last day in office. He agreed to admit that he mislead the grand jury, he agreed to pay a fine, he agreed to give up his Arkansas law license for five years, and he agreed to not seek reimbursement for court costs related to the perjury and obstruction charges in exchange for Ray not indicting him when he left office.

I alluded to that in my post #359. The fact remains that Clinton was never indicted and Libby was.

[McGavin999]

Didn't Pincus write his article in May? Woodward said he talked to Pincus about it. Wouldn't it make sense that he would talk to him when he was writing about the subject? The thing is to find out when Woodward was told.

[Dave S]

Apparently you cant read as I just told you that the process of impeachment by the house is equivalent to indictment. Then there is a trial in the Senate. Clinton was impeached, therefore in all practical terms he was indicted. If you disagree you are just being Clintonian arguing over the meaning of "is".

[Political Junkie Too]

The fact remains that Clinton was never indicted and Libby was.

Is that because Clinton was offered lenient a deal and took it? There was a report that Libby was offered some kind of deal that involved jail time and refused it. Clinton was never offered that kind of a deal, only an offer to admit lying, pay a fine, and forfeit his law license in exchange for NO charges being filed. Not at all the same kind of situation.

-PJ