Posted on 02/13/2006 10:28:23 AM PST by SmithL
WASHINGTON -- Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Monday that Vice President Cheney should resign if he ordered a top aide to leak classified information to the media to defend the invasion of Iraq.
On CNN's "American Morning" program, Dean repeated calls he first made Sunday, saying Cheney may have broken the law if he ordered his former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to share secret information with reporters in 2003.
"If Vice President Cheney has, in fact, ordered the leaking of political information of intelligence information, that means he has to step aside," Dean said on CNN. "We don't know if it's true, but he has been accused of it. If it's true, he has to step aside."
On Sunday, Democratic and Republican senators said Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald should investigate Cheney and others in the CIA leak probe if they authorized Libby to give secret information to reporters.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., called the leak of intelligence information "inappropriate" if it is true, and said, "I think he (Fitzgerald) has to look closely at their behavior."
Sen. George Allen, R-Va., said a full investigation is necessary. "I don't think anybody should be releasing classified information, period, whether in the Congress, executive branch or some underling in some bureaucracy," said Allen, who appeared with Reed on "Fox News Sunday."
According to published reports last week, Libby told a federal grand jury that he disclosed in July 2003 the contents of a classified National Intelligence Estimate as part of the Bush administration's defense of intelligence used to justify invading Iraq.
Fitzgerald said in the documents it was his understanding that "Mr. Libby testified that he was authorized to disclose information about the NIE to the press by his superiors."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
What........ no license in Texas?
It's not yet been announced by Fitzgerald - though memorably evaded by Fitzgerald - whether any intelligence violation was committed by anyone.
"Mr. Libby testified that he was authorized to disclose information about the NIE to the press by his superiors."
Fun fact: all classification (and declassification) authority is derived from the President Of United States.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 12958
CLASSIFIED NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
Sec. 1.4. Classification Authority. (a) The authority to classify information originally may be exercised only by:
(1) the President;
(2) agency heads and officials designated by the President in the Federal Register; or
(3) United States Government officials delegated this authority pursuant to paragraph (c), below.
Ummm... No.
Plame wasn't "covert" under the definition of the statute, as far as I have been able to tell. Further, the motivation for the revelation has to be established as deliberately harming the nation.
Having someone who works at the CIA actively undermining an elected administration is a relevant fact - especially given the subterfuges that are coming to light on the Plame/Wilson side of the equation. If Cheney did break the law, there should be punishment. But to presume guilt in the face of outrageous lies from the other side is ludicrous.
Didn't this ALL get covered already with the Merry Fitzmas that never came?
The only person indicted in Fitzgerald's investigation was Scooter Libby.
END OF STORY!
If Cheney broke the law, he would have been indicted. He wasn't.
Dean, STFU!
See post #24. Fitzmas was last year. It already came and went.
That's all the liberal media needs for a hangin'.
Practise round. He was getting ready of his hunting trip with Howard Dean this weekend.
I like the way you think!!
Release your gubenatorial records NOW, Dr. Dean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?
...whereas Howard Dean has been accused of setting heavily inhabited slum tenements afire at 3am, whilst listening to the techno strains of Moby and snacking lightly on sauteed PBA fetuses.
of course, we don't *know* that this is true, but I suspect it is likelier to be true than anything Dean says about anything.
ROTFLOL!
Love the hamster Dean or whatever it is.
And FROG MARCHED! LOL!
LOL
Anything in the rodent family is a suitable stand in for Dr. Scream.
Dr. Scream.
The man needs to be tied up.
bttt
I bet he'd look pretty good in an I-love-me jacket,
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