Memo May Aid Leak Probe

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | October 17, 2003 | DAVID S. CLOUD

[OESY]

WASHINGTON -- An internal government memo addresses some of the mysteries at the center of the White House leak investigation and could help investigators in the search for who disclosed the identity of a Central Intelligence Agency operative, according to two people familiar with the memo.

[Miss Marple]

Ping!

[twigs]

No, he's not a weapons expert. Supposedly the reason he was sent is because he knew appropriate people in the administration that would have to be involved in any deals because of his former work there. I do find it interesting that other Americans apparently came to the same conclusion as he did, if reports are to be believed. But I have not heard anything to the contrary. But European intelligence came to different conclusions, the Italian forgery notwithstanding. I would like to know why. It's just one more reason why I think there's more here than we know.

[Grampa Dave]

This guy must be one of Al Hunt's hand picked and trained writers at the WSJ. He does a good job at first and then repeats the rat lines.

The rat behind this, and it will come out was Plame's boss at the CIA, Foley. Foley "decided" to retire/resign in August about the time the real investigations started.

[StriperSniper]

Mr. Wilson did report that one former Niger official told him he had been urged by an unidentified businessman to meet with an Iraqi trade delegation in June 1999. The former official interpreted that overture as an invitation to discuss uranium sales.

That sounds like conformation of the the "16 words" depending on the definition of "recent" used and reported by British intelligence.

[anglian]

Since Wilson made no attempt to talk to certain relevant parties in Niger, why was his verbal report apparently taken at face value? No intelligence professional should have relied on it.

It is unclear with whom Wilson met. No Nigerien officials have admitted to attending those meetings. El Hadj Habibou Allele, who runs COMINAK, the major uranium-mining concern, stated he was never contacted. For their part, the staff at the Gawaeye Hotel thought Wilson was a nice guy. He spent most of his time at the hotel and began to take meetings near the pool. (NRO OCT.1 The Honorable Mr. Wilson)


The mainstream media is simply following their new darling and making him an honorary executive editor, reporting whatever he tells them to report.

Joe Wilson says it and it becomes the complete story word for word -- or should I say lie for lie? Wilson did a thorough investigation in Niger. Lie. Karl Rove ordered his wife outed. Lie. Six reporters shopped before Novak. Lie. Nobody knew his wife was CIA. Lie.
But then there's...Valerie "Security Risk" Plame bragging to Joe "Security Risk" Wilson on their first date that she was a CIA agent working undercover posing as an energy analyst. That's a rare gem of truth the media forgot to widely report, let alone investigate further. The only two people we know so far that have recklessly revealed what they knew to be sensitive CIA business are Joe and Valerie.

Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson both happened to alight in Washington, their jet-set schedules intersecting, and spotted each other across a cocktail party filled with foreigners. "I saw this striking blonde," he recalled, still sounding smitten six years later. At first she said she was an energy analyst, but confided sometime around the first kiss that she was in the C.I.A. "I had a security clearance," grinned Mr. Wilson, then a political adviser to the commander of U.S. forces in Europe.

[StriperSniper]

I notice the absence of Foley's name, who was Plame's boss and who has since resigned.

Maybe he is the "and former government officials familiar with the meeting at the CIA's Virginia headquarters. " highlighted in cyncooper's Post#12?

[Miss Marple]

Could be. And if so, perhaps HE is the source of the information.

[StriperSniper]

Corzine just finished, and now Schumer now are pounding this trying to get an independent commission attatched to the supplimental bill.

[StriperSniper]

Excuse the extra "now"(either one). ;-)

[StriperSniper]

Stevens now pounding it all as political, And YELLING!

[Reb Raider]

Thanks for the ping Ben! I have been without my laptop and missed a few days of the latest. I heard Terry M. saying an ad starts today about this issue--I don't know if it will be nationwide or just select markets. He was on Cspan and lied several times regarding the Wilson/Plame affair. One thing was he said 'we know for sure it is two high ranking officials in the White House'. He also said it was shopped around with 6 reporters prior to Novak's story.

Right now Biden is sucking any air out of the Senate chamber talking about how smart he is and he doesn't salute to Bremer because he knows more than him. Hillary did her monotone screech earlier explaining why we need another investigation of intelligence gathering. She looked and sounded like a major hag.

What one theme runs true no matter what dem we are talking about? They lie with abandon. I know this and still it takes my breath away that they make up stuff from whole cloth. The media and other dems repeat the lies until many people believe them and no matter if it is corrected in the future, people still believe the original fairytale.

[Ben Hecks]

"I notice the absence of Foley's name"

Yes, I would assume that the WSJ is aware of that information. The reference to "U.S. intelligence officials" might also refer to individuals other than CIA personnel - one of the prominent players in all of this seems to be Greg Thielmann who was assigned to the State Dept. Bureau of Intelligence and Research. He apparently retired at some point after this meeting was held.

[windchime]

Thank you for the ping!

[okie01]

There is also the subtle blurring of "seeking to purchase" and "purchased" uranium. Huge difference. And the answer to those questions are "yes" and "probably not."

And Bush said "sought", not "bought".

It now comes out that even the CIA's summary of Wilson's own report inferentially corroborates and supports Bush's statement:

According to an official CIA summary of Mr. Wilson's report, released last summer, Mr. Wilson did report that one former Niger official told him he had been urged by an unidentified businessman to meet with an Iraqi trade delegation in June 1999. The former official interpreted that overture as an invitation to discuss uranium sales.

The book contract and movie deal for Joe and Valerie appear to be receding into the distance as we speak...

[Reb Raider]

I saw some comments by Thielmann and found him to be a perfect U.N.is the way to hide behind my mamma skirt,anti war,pompous flake. The media keeps giving these sour pusses unchallenged access to the public.

I can't imagine all the dems don't know their Bush lied,Rove lied,Cheney lied,Rumsfield lied,war for oil theory,etc. talk is hurting our soldiers by letting Arab zealots repeat the charges gleefully. They have decided if putting the soldiers in more danger is a consequence of what it takes to bring down the president it is worth it. They all pander to the worst of human nature in their party and are rewarded by those people for doing so.

Ben, as usual you picked up on a great piece to the Wilson puzzle we have all been trying to decipher. I was so overloaded with the barage of negative media coverage I didn't put Thielmann's leaving his post together with this story. It just keeps getting more interesting...

[The Iguana]

Ms. Plame, a member of the agency's clandestine service working on Iraqi weapons issues, suggested at the meeting that her husband, Africa expert and former U.S. diplomat Joseph Wilson, could be sent to Niger to investigate the reports, according to current and former government officials familiar with the meeting at the CIA's Virginia headquarters. Soon after, midlevel CIA officials decided to send him, say intelligence officials.

In other words, Novak's source was essentially correct.

[mewzilla]

I thought that Wilson's been saying all along that wifey never suggested him for the job.

[Grampa Dave]

Good find.

This whole thing, the sequel to Yellowcake 1 Scam is apparently failing big time. Only a few rat political cartoonists are even pushing this bs anymore.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Since the larger companies of the publishing industry seem to exist primarily as a funding arm for the RATS, I still expect a book to come from this crock of lies.

Profitability is of no concern to them it appears.