>> Here is his story published at the end of the Plame investigation.
Thanks for providing the link. I read it when it first came out, and I just read it again, start to finish.
Novak never claims Fitzgerald put a “gag order” or an official order on him of any kind. He says (more than once) that he decided ON HIS OWN that it was a personal hazard to talk, so he didn’t.
What I see from his explanation is a man who had no compunction about using confidential sources and leaks to write juicy columns to line his own pockets, but didn’t have the integrity and courage to call a halt to it when it got out of hand, because it might have been expensive and risky to HIMSELF. That’s in his OWN WORDS.
I stopped respecting Robert Novak during and after this affair. I can’t say I paid a whole lot of attention to him after all this came out, because he disgusted me. Kind of how I feel about Peggy Noonan and some of the other Beltway and New York conservative pundits.
But as another poster aptly put it, there’s more to life than politics. Rest in peace, Mr. Novak.
Novak should have spoken out, whether Fitzgerald threatened him or not. But far more than that, Armitage should have spoken out immediately when Fitzgerald did not stop the investigation.
Fitzgerald knew from day one that the WH had not been involved in “outing” Plame, and that indeed, no law had been broken. The only reason was to further his career, making him the largest turd in the whole mess.
The media used this to distract from Wilson’s obvious lies in his Op-ed, and smear GWB. While it was under investigation, the WH couldn’t defend themselves.
RussP has this overview, it is a good read.