Posted on 09/27/2003 4:07:19 PM PDT by AntiGuv
The DOJ opens a preliminary probe into whether the White House illegally unmasked a CIA operative
The Justice Department has opened a preliminary inquiry into whether a Bush Administration official illegally revealed the identity of a CIA employee whose husband criticized the Administration's handling of intelligence on Iraq, TIME has learned. The probe will determine whether to order a full-fledged FBI investigation.
The CIA triggered the Justice inquiry with a memo saying that there may have been an unauthorized disclosure about the wife of Joe Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador. Columnist Robert Novak wrote in July that Wilson's wife was a CIA "operative" who suggested that he be sent to Niger to investigate intelligence that Saddam Hussein was trying to buy a large volume of Niger's yellowcake uranium to build a nuclear weapon.
Wilson found no evidence that Saddam was seeking yellowcake — the International Atomic Energy Agency later determined this was probably untrue — but the CIA and National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice failed to fully vet the intelligence and President Bush used it in his State of the Union Address this year. After Wilson wrote an op-ed over the summer criticizing the Administration's handling of the intelligence about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction progam, Novak wrote that "two administration officials" told him Wilson's wife had suggested sending him to Niger to investigate.
The CIA is required to notify Justice if it believes there may have been an unauthorized disclosure. The notification was first reported Friday by MSNBC. The White House has denied being a source of any story about Wilson's wife.
CIA and Justice spokespersons declined comment, but an Administration official told TIME that the Justice is conducting a preliminary inquiry to "determine whether or not there should be an investigation" by the FBI.
Wilson would not discuss his wife and said he knew nothing about any investigation. But, he said, "It was clear to me from the beginning that this was really done as a signal to others who might step forward,” to criticize the Administration's handling of intelligence on Iraq.
Actually should be ruh roh Karl. The CIA is pissed. They will want a scapegoat.
If Stephanopoulus did this to a spouse of a CIA agent who said that the asprin factory wasn't a WMD site, people here would be howling, and rightfully so.
This has Rove's fingerprints all over it, and I hope they nail his ass for it. This is unacceptable. Attack Wilson straight up, revealing his wife's CIA employment is a federal offense that brings 10 years in jail.
... Novak wrote that "two administration officials" told him Wilson's wife had suggested sending him to Niger to investigate ...Has Novak named names? If not, then there is no case. Besides, the "two administration officials" can simply follow the example of the former White House: they can simply "fail to recall" any meeting, any disclosure.
The FBI will probably end up doing phone records from the white house. The source better have used a non office number on this one or they are in trouble.
They have a right to expect that the White House not leak their assets name to Bob Novak.And the White House has a right to expect that the CIA will not to undermine its policies.
What do you think?
Does Bob Novak strike you as the sort who'll go to prison to protect his sources?It will never come to that.
If you think it is ok to reveal CIA sources when you are mad at the CIA, and the source's husband, then fine.
I don't, the CIA doesn't, and it looks like the justice department and the FBI agree.
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