Bob Woodward Torpedoes CIA Leak Case

National Ledger ^ | 11-22-05 | Jim Kouri - Commentary

[smoothsailing]

CRIME BEAT

Bob Woodward Torpedoes CIA Leak Case

By Jim Kouri

Nov 22, 2005

Legendary Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward on the ratings-challenged Larry King talk show told viewers that the president, vice president and defense secretary were not the people who leaked the fact that Valerie Plame worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.

In addition, he stated that his secret source was male, which eliminates secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and close Bush confidante Karen Hughes as suspects. A two-year investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA analyst Valerie Plame to members of the media has resulted in merely one indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice, charges that are a prosecutors best friend when he or she comes up with nothing.

Plame's now celebrity husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, claims that the Bush White House "blew her cover" in retaliation for his criticisms of the Iraq war. Of course, this is the part of the story the news media jumped on. The part they ignore is that Wilson's allegations about the war were discovered to be a tissue of lies. His report to congress even contradicted his statements on 60 Minutes and his op-ed article in the New York Times.

Woodward, who broke the 1972 Watergate case -- a case that resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon -- refused to publicly disclose his source on the King show.

However, Woodward told Larry King that the information that Wilson's wife worked for the Central Intelligence Agency was disclosed to him in a "casual manner" while he was conducting an interview for his upcoming book Plan of Attack. Woodward's book covered the Bush Administration preparations for the March 2003 Iraq invasion.

Woodward claims the identity of Wilson's wife came up at the end of an interview with a source about a period of time leading up to the war, when he asked about Wilson and his mission to Niger.

According to Woodward, the still-unknown source told him that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA as a weapons of mass destruction analyst. Woodward intimated that he thought nothing of this conversation because as far as he knew Plame was not a covert agent and that he felt the allegations by Wilson were not to be taken seriously.

Plame's name was first revealed in a July 2003 column written by conservative columnist and Washington Insider, Robert Novak, following Wilson's blabbing about his Niger trip to anyone who'd listen. A former US ambassador to the African nation, Wilson at first denied his wife had anything to do with his mission, until a memo surfaced that showed she recommended his for the assignment.

Wilson subsequently wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times accusing the Bush administration of "exaggerating the Iraqi threat" to justify the war. Of course, what he didn't tell the NY Times' readers is that he has a history of being a left-winger and a contributor to the Democrat National Committee. During the John Kerry run for the presidency, Wilson was listed on the Kerry for President website as Kerry's foreign affairs advisor.

Then suddenly Wilson's name, photograph and biography were removed from the website when Wilson's credibility was blown by statements made by congressmen who examined Wilson's verbal report and found it contradicted what he wrote in the NY Times. 

Woodward stressed that under US law, it is a crime to knowingly identify a covert intelligence operative by name, but not necessarily to describe his or her family ties. Nor does the law cover CIA analysts -- or janitors, for that matter.

Woodward is now undergoing a media smear campaign. He's shown how trivial the Valerie Plame affair truly is. The fact of the matter is that the Democrats and their stooges in the elite media made this a big case because they wish to hurt the Bush Administration and they're being disingenous when they claim they're concerned over national security and leaking of classified information.

If the Democrats truly were concerned about classified information leaks, they would have shoved a gag in Senator Patrick Leahy's mouth a long time ago.

............................... 

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

© Copyright by NationalLedger.com

[patriciaruth]

Hubby says a lot of people are focusing on Armitage now, who was close to Powell.

Whatcha think?

[MJY1288]

Nope, It's Tenet..... Just watch :-)

[MJY1288]

BTW, Tenet is quoted all through Woodward's book "Plan of Attack"

[Just mythoughts]

"KING: Did your wife have anything to do with your making that trip?

WILSON: She did not and, in fact...two reporters, Newt Royce and Tim Phelps of "Newsday" actually called the CIA and the CIA said to them she had nothing to do with her husband's trip."


I remember Wilson being on C-SPAM a short time after NOvak's article.

He said he did not know who it was that sent him and would not know them if he met them on the street. Of course nobody asked him if his wife knew these people.

I think there is the possibility that Wilson is telling the truth that it was NOT his wife that selected him, I think it could very well have been somebody even outside the CIA who initially made the contact and orchestrated the deal.

Wilson's awareness of the forged documents to me indicates someone other than his wife, and it may well have been Wilson who whispered into his wife's ear the idea.

What is strange about this is that I have heard Rocketfeller claim that HE pushed for this investigation, and considering that Rocketfeller also told US that he himself went to Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia to warn them about a future invasion of Iraq, Jan 2002, a month before Wilson was sent on his tea sipping "free lancing" mission, has the appearance of at least one sitting Senator's involvement.

Further I have since heard (Hannity&C tv show) that there were people from the State Dept. that also accompanied Rocketfeller. So given what Wilson claimed that he did not know who these people were that he met with and would not know them on the street sounds like people outside of CIA.

[syriacus]

I wonder which people Woodward told about the Plame/Wilson connection

Woodward keeps stressing how casually he was told about Plame. My guess is-- Woodward took that information and "casually" shared it with a fair number of people.

[patriciaruth]

Tenet is quoted all through Woodward's book "Plan of Attack"

Definitely the funniest possible source. A Clinton appointee.

[bray]

Looks like Fitzmas ordered his indictment from ACME!! What a hack!

Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters

[MJY1288]

A Clinton appointee.

Yup, and also a high level person in the Bush Administration. Tenet, Card, Rove and Condi are quoted throughout the book, and Woodward has already said he had the conversation when Wilson was mentioned while he was doing the research for his book. Woodward was given unprecedented access to the White House and the Director of the CIA, Woodward could not quote Tenet when he said Saddam having WMD's was a "SLAM DUNK" unless Tenet OK'd it.

I have read that book and Tenet is the only person named as the leaker that would make "everyone" laugh, So my prediction is that Tenet said Plame was a WMD analyst, because he knew she was not Covert, and was most likely angry about not being aware of the Mission the CIA's Counter Proliferation Division undertook when they sent that Flunky Joe Wilson to Niger to undermine not only the Bush Administration, but George Tenet himself

[AndyTheBear]

He allowed a special prosecutor to go after the Bush White House knowing damned well the Plame info was out there long before Libby reportedly said anything.

Everybody who cared to know this knew this. A year or more ago there was a press court briefing for 75 or so media outlets that sited evidence of such, and pointed out there could not have been a crime committed (they were arguing for access into the investigation).

I suppose a special prosecutor has to do something to earn his keep, even if its make-work.

[patriciaruth]

So, is Tenet going to be indicted?

[Casloy]

Barney Frank is also in the clear.

Yeah, but now Hillary is a suspect.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

(I can't believe I am defending Woodward...)

The investigation was about the possible leak of a covert agent's name in an attempt to smear/punish/send a message to Joe Wilson.

If Woodward is telling the truth, Plame's name came out in a casual, off the cuff manner at the end of an interview for a book.

In that sense, it had nothing to do with the investigation.

After Woodward read the indictment and realized what he knew was relevant, he went to the source, knowing full well he would be called to testify.

He did the right thing.

He had been warning his colleagues all along about this story. They did not listen.

[potlatch]

These are some notes that I jotted down to keep it clear in my mind after reading all of the articles;

Earlier this week Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward disclosed that he testified under oath to Fitzgerald on Monday, November 14th, 2005 that a senior Bush administration official had casually told him in mid-June 2003 about CIA operative Valerie Plame's position as a CIA analyst on weapons of mass destruction.

Plame's identity was revealed in July 2003 by columnist Robert Novak.

Fitz had said that Libby was the first official known to have told a reporter about Plame in June of '03.

Woodward realized - after hearing that the indictment stated Libby disclosed his information on June 23 - that Libby was NOT the first official to talk about Plame to a reporter.

Woodward called his source, confirming that he had been told earlier in June '03, so therefor Libby was not the first to release the info.

Woodwards source said 'he or she' had no choice but to go to the Prosecutor. Woodward asked if he could be 'released' from confidentiality but the 'source' said only for purposes of discussing it with Fitzgerald, not for publication.

Woodward expressed surprise that Fitz hadn't contacted him earlier as his name showed up on various White House calendars, phone logs and other records during June-July '03.

Friday, Nov. 18, 2005; Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said in court filings that the ongoing CIA leak investigation will involve proceedings before a new grand jury, a possible sign he could seek new charges in the case.

[smoothsailing]

I've been reading your posts, Mike, and everything seems to fit.Tenet, damn but that IS going to be funny!

[af_vet_1981]

Friday, Nov. 18, 2005; Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said in court filings that the ongoing CIA leak investigation will involve proceedings before a new grand jury, a possible sign he could seek new charges in the case.

If Fitzgerald doesn't go after the CIA or reporters he should be arrested.

[MJY1288]

Nope, For the same reason why Scooter Libby wasn't indicted for outing a covert agent, because she wasn't a covert agent. Libby was indicted for discrepancies in his testimony that Fitzgerald considered obstruction and perjury. The major problem for Fitzgerald is that his indictments are solely based on his claim that Scooter libby was the first to leak to a reporter, Woodward blew that claim completely apart when he said he knew about Plame weeks before Libby first spoke to anybody about Plame.

Fitzgerald did not indict Libby on a crime related to the leak, he indicted for discrepancies in Libby's recollection of who he spoke to, and what was said to others about an obvious political hack

[patriciaruth]

Time for the Democrat attack star to wane and the Christmas star to ascend.

Hope we get a nice Christmas present like we did 2 years ago.

[PhilDragoo]

[Boazo]

[Shortstop7]

Oh........I think you're beginning to convince me.....