Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago

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

[atomicweeder]

Washington Post Assistant Managing Editor Bob Woodward testified under oath Monday in the CIA leak case that a senior administration official told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame and her position at the agency nearly a month before her identity was disclosed . . .

[Purrcival]

And yet Libby is supposed to have perfect memory of a conversation, or conversations, that he may have had 2-3 years ago.

[Purrcival]

Ah, but you're both still reading these threads, aren't you?

;-D

[furquhart]

I added this to breaking. This is major news.

I hope no one minds.

[Dolphy]

Whatchawannabet Pincus testified to the grand jury that he had "no idea" Wilson's wife worked at the CIA -- even though, at the time, he was doing a story sourced to "an anonymous ambassador". Woodward has just set Pincus up for a little bit of Libby's medicine...

This is the question I posed earlier on this thread. I heard Woodward describe his view of this entire thing on Larry King several weeks ago, not knowing that he had first hand information. He said that his bet was that the "leak" was an innocent comment in the way of an explanation for Wilson's trip, a comment solicited by Wilson's claim that he was sent by the Vice President's office. Now I want to know why Fitzgerald decided to depose Woodward at this juncture.

There is a tremendous burden on the memory of everybody involved in this except Wilson himself, the man most likely to have leaked his wife's name and who knows what else in the way of background information.

[DoughtyOne]

Woodward? Wasn't she married to that Barnstem guy?

Two of the most over-rated hacks in the history of the planet.

[stylin19a]

sorry...I lost my head there, for a moment.

[Dolphy]

Funny this timeline omits Pincus' June and Kristoff's May stories that were fueled by Wilson who was then posing as an anonymous former ambassador.

[hole_n_one]

I should have known to seek a more reliable source than the AP.

They even sneak in their own editorial comments into their "timeline".

See 1/28/03.

[ruschpa]

This worries me, if this unnamed source is high up like Cheney...
But so far it makes Fitzgerald look incompetent.

[timestax]

Ah, but you're both still reading these threads, aren't you? ;-D

not anymore...

[angkor]

Why am I finding this entire thing incredibly boring?

Because there's no there, there.

No crime was committed.

Plame wasn't "covert", and Fitzgerald has known that from the outset.

[RunningWolf]

CIA director George Tenat?

Wolf

[RunningWolf]

Well no

[nutmeg]

ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[RunningWolf]

Oswald was a nobody too

Wolf

[okie01]

Now I want to know why Fitzgerald decided to depose Woodward at this juncture.

He had no choice. Because, according to the article, the "unidentified official" who "leaked" to Woodward told Fitzgerald that he had done so.

Fitzgerald probably would've preferred not to, as the Woodward revelation spoils Fitzgerald's timeline. And, to a degree, it weakens the case against Libby -- more people, importantly including reporters, knew about Plame earlier in the game.

[RunningWolf]

yes

[Siena Dreaming]

it weakens the case against Libby

However, Libby isn't charged with leaking anyway. Only with perjury and obstruction of justice.

[Political Junkie Too]

It was the "official" who brought the conversation to Fitzgerald's attention, ie., this is not something that Woodward revealed on his own, nor something that Fitz dug up on his own.

So what are you saying, that Woodward knowingly withheld exculpatory evidence for partisan politcal purposes?

-PJ

[ruschpa]

I don't understand how somebody this late in the game can all of a sudden remember talking to Woodward about this... strange. Man, I hope good news comes out of this... not sure though.