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.
You're nuts.
Rove engineered the 2002 Congressional wins, and Bush wouldn't be president without him.
Rove didn't do this, but you'll pile on nonetheless.
You are parsing in a manner that the CIA won't give a damn about. There is a fundamental principle at stake here that the CIA will not compromise. Their very lives depend on it and if you think this is just gonna go away, you are wrong.
I personally hope that Novak was lying about the admin sources and is lying out his ass. I don't want Rove to be the party here, but it looks like something he would do. It's hardball.
Because that would've been handled internally, were that the case. The CIA already knows who it was - they simply cannot investigate a domestic charge so they turn it over to the FBI as a formality. At least one of the two officials were in the White House (at least, so far as the CIA has determined).
Can you maybe source how you know that Rove was the leaker?
I am personally disinclined to believe anything Novak says because of his long association with CNN.
When President Hillary Clinton's minions do something like this in 2009, or President Dean, or whoever the rats finally get into office, I want all of you who say it is no big deal, to either zip it, or stay consistent.If presidents Clinton or Dean ever expose some revenge-of-the-clerks plot in the CIA, I will be the first to raise my glass to salute them.
Two administration officials could be CIA administration officials. Why assume White house?Why indeed.
"First, the CIA would perform an internal investigation. The results of that would be passed on to the Justice Department for professional investigation. I don't think this will be dropped. "At the end of the day, it's of keen interest to me to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs. And trust me, when I use that name, I measure my words."
Now, I understand that he later backtracked somewhat to imply it may've been someone other than Rove, though I'm unclear as to whom. But, that's where the Rove connection arises.
These leaks now are a shot across the bow. If the Agency is still not satisfied by the progress afterward, it's only the beginning. Bet on it.Given how cripplingly inept our highly-politicized CIA is at the moment, I'll bet on the White House prevailing. But then, I would bet on the Pittsburgh PTA previaling against the CIA. As would al qaeda, or several drug cartels, or the Chinese, or the Russians, or any of a number of other states or non-state actors that have been running circles around them for ten long years.
The media follows the NY times like lapdogs. Now that the times has published, it will be discussed on all the talking head shows tomorrow.
Yeah, and why do you suppose no one at the Agency has ever or will ever be fired for its politicized ineptitude? Get a clue, bud. If the White House and the CIA go to war, the White House will not prevail. Best to just get this over with quietly and then everyone can bebop along to less troublesome pursuits.....
Novak can print this, but shouldn't have. The person who leaked to him though is liable for 10 years in the federal pokie.
Novak will probably never get a source at CIA to ever speak to him again, but since that really isn't his beat, it won't affect him otherwise.
My guess is that any CIA person caught talking to Novak now, would soon be reassigned to analysis of local elections in Iceland.
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