The CIA leak (Latest From Novak)

townhall.com ^ | 10/01/03 | Robert Novak

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON -- I had thought I never again would write about retired diplomat Joseph Wilson's CIA-employee wife, but feel constrained to do so now that repercussions of my July 14 column have reached the front pages of major newspapers and led off network news broadcasts. My role and the role of the Bush White House have been distorted and need explanation.

The leak now under Justice Department investigation is described by former Ambassador Wilson and critics of President Bush's Iraq policy as a reprehensible effort to silence them. To protect my own integrity and credibility, I would like to stress three points. First, I did not receive a planned leak. Second, the CIA never warned me that the disclosure of Wilson's wife working at the agency would endanger her or anybody else. Third, it was not much of a secret.

The current Justice investigation stems from a routine, mandated probe of all CIA leaks, but follows weeks of agitation. Wilson, after telling me in July that he would say nothing about his wife, has made investigation of the leak his life's work -- aided by the relentless Sen. Charles Schumer of New York. These efforts cannot be separated from the massive political assault on President Bush.

This story began July 6 when Wilson went public and identified himself as the retired diplomat who had reported negatively to the CIA in 2002 on alleged Iraq efforts to buy uranium yellowcake from Niger. I was curious why a high-ranking official in President Bill Clinton's National Security Council (NSC) was given this assignment. Wilson had become a vocal opponent of President Bush's policies in Iraq after contributing to Al Gore in the last election cycle and John Kerry in this one.

During a long conversation with a senior administration official, I asked why Wilson was assigned the mission to Niger. He said Wilson had been sent by the CIA's counterproliferation section at the suggestion of one of its employees, his wife. It was an offhand revelation from this official, who is no partisan gunslinger. When I called another official for confirmation, he said: "Oh, you know about it." The published report that somebody in the White House failed to plant this story with six reporters and finally found me as a willing pawn is simply untrue.

At the CIA, the official designated to talk to me denied that Wilson's wife had inspired his selection but said she was delegated to request his help. He asked me not to use her name, saying she probably never again will be given a foreign assignment but that exposure of her name might cause "difficulties" if she travels abroad. He never suggested to me that Wilson's wife or anybody else would be endangered. If he had, I would not have used her name. I used it in the sixth paragraph of my column because it looked like the missing explanation of an otherwise incredible choice by the CIA for its mission.

How big a secret was it? It was well known around Washington that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. Republican activist Clifford May wrote Monday, in National Review Online, that he had been told of her identity by a non-government source before my column appeared and that it was common knowledge. Her name, Valerie Plame, was no secret either, appearing in Wilson's "Who's Who in America" entry.

A big question is her duties at Langley. I regret that I referred to her in my column as an "operative," a word I have lavished on hack politicians for more than 40 years. While the CIA refuses to publicly define her status, the official contact says she is "covered" -- working under the guise of another agency. However, an unofficial source at the Agency says she has been an analyst, not in covert operations.

The Justice Department investigation was not requested by CIA Director George Tenet. Any leak of classified information is routinely passed by the Agency to Justice, averaging one a week. This investigative request was made in July shortly after the column was published. Reported only last weekend, the request ignited anti-Bush furor.

©2003 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

Contact Robert Novak | Read Novak's biography

[txrangerette]

Just my guess, but I think Colin
Powell would be as angry as any,
and I think Novak's source is as
yet unnamed in this story at all,
not just unnamed as his source.
Also, I don't rule out a Powell
deputy. Could it be Tenet? Sure.

[Lady Heron]

but the White House is currently under investigation. That, to me, is a real story. Until the investigation comes up with nadda, I won't have a problem with the coverage.<

That is strange because I will until the news media actually covers the story as news delving into all of the facts and not talking points of the Democrat party. Until then I will find them to be treasonious.

[Lady Heron]

BTW Welcome to Freerepublic.

[beckett]

Not going to happen if he or she is a left over democrat.

We should only be so lucky that Novak's source is a "leftover Democrat." That would be like manna from heaven.

My view is that this person is going to be found out. Whether Novak discloses the name sotto voce to the "right person," or it happens through straightforward investigative work by the FBI, it'll happen. If the source is smart, he or she will save us all some agony and come forward now.

[petercooper]

Wilson's frog march quote>>

http://www.pacificviews.org/archives/000094.html

[Kleon]

Thank you kindly. Yes, I agree with you that the media must focus on and analyze the facts. I disagree with you when you say itthey are treasonous. I think they're reporting on it the way they are because it is expedient, not because they want to take down Bush. Lazy reporting, that's all.

[CobaltBlue]

Joseph C. Wilson, is president of JC Wilson International Ventures Corporation, but his email address is:
joewilson@rockcreekcorp.com

That?s because he is the "strategic advisor" to Rock Creek Corporation.
http://www.cfr.org/meetarchive.php?meety=2003&loc=6

What is the Rock Creek Corporation?

Well, they do business with the Saudis.
http://www.the-saudi.net/business-center/links-usa.htm

In fact, they're a member of the Saudi-Arabian business council.
http://www.us-saudi-business.org/members.htm

Which could be because the president of the Rock Creek Corporation is Elias Aburdene, an Arab-American, who is on the board of directors of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies.
http://www.ccasonline.org/events/Board.htm

Elias Aburdene is Executive Vice President of the National Association of Arab-Americans.
http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/0697/9706014.htm

Wilson also served as an advisor to a task force on Sudan put together by CSIS.
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/b17f1b8f326baeeac1256b6e003a66f8?OpenDocument

CSIS:
http://www.csis.org/

Interesting email referencing Rock Creek Corporation.
http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:nPLtWbIjDb4J:groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-News/message/1039%3Fsource%3D1+%22rock+creek+corporation%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Whois search results for rockcreekcorp.com

rockcreekcorp.com
Back-order this name


Registrant:
Rock Creek Corporation (ROCKCREEKCORP-DOM)
1717 Pennsylvania Ave suite 300
Washington, DC 20006
US
Domain Name: ROCKCREEKCORP.COM
Administrative Contact:
aburdene, annette (OBJKEMGRAI) invest@ROCKCREEKCORP.COM
rock creek corporation
1717 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW STE 300
WASHINGTON, DC 20006-4619
US
(202) 887-6171 fax: (202) 887-6786
Technical Contact:
WinStar (WI1362-ORG) dns@WINSTAR.NET
WinStar
1250 S. Creasy Lane
Lafayette, IN 47905
US
765-449-4000 fax: 765-449-4190
Record expires on 21-Aug-2008.
Record created on 15-Oct-2002.
Database last updated on 1-Oct-2003 17:25:50 EDT.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.WINSTAR.NET 63.140.240.254
NS2.WINSTAR.NET 207.98.129.134

That's all my snooping has turned up so far.

[Lady Heron]

Not when 95% of the media vote Democrat. At some point when they willfully refuse to report facts that support Republicans you must begin to question their motives. After watching them intently for 20 years I no longer see their reporting as lazy or expedient as I viewed them 20 years ago. They are willfully and determinedly trying everything in their power to break the Americans faith in Bush(not just with this Wilson dust up, look at the reporting on Iraq or anything else), and place a democrat back in power. That to me has nothing to do with reporting, but willfully trying to change the political direction for the American people to fit their agenda.

[Lady Heron]

I know it is a wish, but supposedly both Rush and Hannity were wanting to reveal something that did not make this look bad for the Republicans. One can only hope.:-)

[alloysteel]

The name of Mrs. Joseph C. Wilson IV, Valerie Plame, was made public by no less than Joseph C. Wilson IV. This sociopath would also, while introducing his spouse around at cocktail parties, casually add the gratuitous information, that she worked for the CIA, as if this would provide him with some sort of cachet. The Washington press corps HAD to be aware of the connection, so it was no secret, just a little nugget that until Robert Novak made a passing reference, had not appeared in print. Or at least not acknowledged in print.

And who hired Wilson to go over to Niger to sit and drink sweet tea for a week, while he was muffing up any information that may have been germane to whether Saddam Hussein had attempted to purchase "yellowcake" uranium?

Wilson couldn't find any information to support that assertion, so he declared that none existed. Either he refused to look, or he saw something he chose to ignore. Either way, his competence is clearly in question.

[Sender]

I am absolutely doubled over with laughter reading the hardcore dems' postings about what to them is the Biggest Scandal Ever in the World, the Watergate of 2003, the Big One that will Bring Bush Down! They are positively salivating and flogging themselves with twisted evil delight.

Just for grins, here are some of the scenarios which are being seriously considered by the dems:

Karl Rove leaked it in an attempt to begin destroying the CIA as a prelude to world domination.

Karl Rove will now have Novak bumped off and make it look like a heart attack before he can talk.

Novak should stay off small airplanes so he won't end up like Simon and the other dems that Rove had offed.

The colossal fall of Dr Evil Karl Rove will begin the crumbling of the Bush Family Evil Empire, ushering in the age of liberal progressive power.

The CIA is so angry that they are quietly planning to take down the entire White House who all will disappear.

This is the most monumental, stupendous, evil, despicable, pathetic act ever perpetrated by anyone, far surpassing even Hitler and Karl Rove, and will go down in history as The Big Story of All Time.

Lord, I hate to break it to them and spoil their delusions of scandal, but...

[celtic gal]

Well, we all know show Wilson feels about BushII. How do we know ol Wilson didn't "out" his wife himself??????

[SunStar]

The key unnamed figure in this story is CIA Director George Tenent, a Clinton Appointee.

[Kleon]

Those are some good points, thanks for responding. I guess I still haven't seen evidence that supports the claim that the media willfully shape the opinions of the population through manipulation of the facts. I don't know too much about journalistic routine, but I would imagine the most important figure would be the political affiliation of news editors and directors, since they have control over the news agenda, which becomes public agenda.

[YaYa123]

Unless you're watching MSNBC Buchanan/Press, you may not believe me. BUT it's true:

The same former CIA operative who was on PBS Newshour last night saying he worked with Wilsons' wife, just said, he knows who in the White House called Novak. He told Buchanan/Press that person works in the EOB, maybe works for Vice President Cheney, through clever questioning, they asked this guy, Larry Johnson if it was Scooter Livvy, and he declined to answer, but both Buchanan and PRess guessed Scooter Livvy.

They are taking this guy very very seriously. And we all remember how Chris Mathews has been angling to get Scooter for over a year.

[independentmind]

Who is Scooter Livvy?

[cyncooper]

Unfortunately for all of us, I believe you.

I have Fox on (leaving in a sec, though), but flipped to MSNBC briefly and could not believe what an a$$ Buchanan was being.

I am glad I will have to miss Matthews, so keep us posted if anything outrageous happens.

Really, I just flipped to MSNBC before hitting "Post" and see they have some person who wrote a book called "Bush's Brain"?????

Please! (But Buchanan actually is disputing some of this character's assertions)

[YaYa123]

Buchanan and Press surmised that the FBI would be waiting outside the door to question former CIA Larry Johnson. Johnson was firm, no hesitation, in fact defiant and boastful is how I would describe him when he said he knew who did the calls from the White House.

[San Jacinto]

"...until the news media actually covers the story as news delving into all of the facts and not talking points of the Democrat party. Until then I will find them to be treasonious."

Until the end of Never........
.......And that's a long, long t-i-i-m-e-e-e-e.............

[Lady Heron]

but I would imagine the most important figure would be the political affiliation of news editors and director

Sadly it is just a bad if not worse. There are studies done on this subject. You might be able to find it on the web, though I am not sure how to go about researching it.