Posted on 07/14/2005 8:27:58 PM PDT by freedrudge
Rove Reportedly Held Phone Talk on C.I.A. Officer
WASHINGTON, July 14 - Karl Rove, the White House senior adviser, spoke with the columnist Robert D. Novak as he was preparing an article in July 2003 that identified a C.I.A. officer who was undercover, someone who has been officially briefed on the matter said Thursday. Skip to next paragraph Multimedia Graphic The White House on the Leak Related White House Quotes on the C.I.A. Leak Case (July 11, 2005) At Leak Inquiry's Center, a Circumspect Columnist (Dec. 31, 2004)
Wilson: What I Didn't Find in Africa (July 6, 2003)
Mr. Rove has told investigators that he learned from the columnist the name of the C.I.A. officer, who was referred to by her maiden name, Valerie Plame, and the circumstances in which her husband, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, traveled to Africa to investigate possible uranium sales to Iraq, the person said.
After hearing Mr. Novak's account, the person who has been briefed on the matter said, Mr. Rove told the columnist: "I heard that, too."
The previously undisclosed telephone conversation, which took place on July 8, 2003, was initiated by Mr. Novak, the person who has been briefed on the matter said.
Six days later, Mr. Novak's syndicated column reported that two senior administration officials had told him that Mr. Wilson's "wife had suggested sending him" to Africa. That column was the first instance in which Ms. Wilson was publicly identified as a C.I.A. operative. The column provoked angry demands for an investigation into who disclosed Ms. Wilson's name to Mr. Novak.
The Justice Department appointed Patrick J. Fitzgerald, a top federal prosecutor in Chicago, to lead the inquiry. Mr. Rove said in an interview last year that he did not know the C.I.A. officer's name and did no
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Didn't Tenet approve the investigation? Why would he call for the investigation if he was the leaker?
This doesn't make sense.
Since this is in the NYT, I must assume that the person "briefed" on this issue is an enemy of Bush's....hpe it's not someone in his inner circle.
I agree with you. The case is closed especially after Wilson's admission on CNN tonight. However, I'd like to know who Judith Miller is protecting.
Sounds like Bush has a rat working for him. Either that, of the SP has someone with low ethical standards. That's probably the most likely, I guess. Or maybe a juror.
______________________________________________________
My first thought was it was Rove or his attorney. Rove seems to want to get all this out there so this press frenzy can consume itself. I think that is smart.
So now I guess the DUmmies will, again, say the reporter and the NY Times are nothing but mouthpieces for the right wing media.
I'd almost be willing to spend billions in tax dollars to get these DU morons and others like them lithium or thorzine for life.
And who/what was their source for this tidbit? Why, a DNC talking points memo, of course.
They'll probably start dredging up Armstrong Williams and Jeff Gannon again, to demonstrate the "pattern."
Kenobi: "You don't need to see our identification."
Stormtrooper: "We don't need to see their identification."
Kenobi: "These aren't the droids you're looking for."
Stormtrooper: "These aren't the droids you're looking for."
Kenobi: "The evidence that Rove was not the source seems almost certain to intensify the quiestion about whether one of Mr. Bush's closest political advisors--"
Stormtrooper: "What?!"
Kenobi: "MoveOn."
Stormtrooper: "WHAT?"
Kenobi: "Move along."
Stormtrooper: "Move along."
I'm sticking with Wilkerson or Powell. State would have known the background because their own intel branch attended the meeting that hired Wilson.
It was reported that at least Powell had the INR memo that said Plame "convened" the meeting within a day or two of Novak's article.
This doesn't make sense.
Nothing much about this thing makes sense. I think Tenet was painted into a corner - or perhaps he knew exactly where the investigation would go, even though he knew he would have to quit as a result. It was worth it to him to send Plame down in flames, after she set him up with her husband's phony-baloney trip.
The hatred drips off every page of the NYT, and off the lips of "reporters" like David Gregory (who's subbing on Hardballs right now).
Hmm...the MSM is jumping all over the President for not immediately firing his friend and most trusted advisor, yet how long did these same idiots stand by Dan Rather who USED FORGED DOCUMENTS IN AN ATTEMPT TO DESTROY A PRESIDENT.
I love that pic.
Article comes complete with Rat talking points:
Point 1
The conversation between Mr. Novak and Mr. Rove seemed almost certain to intensify the question about whether one of Mr. Bush's closest political advisers played a role in what appeared to be an effort to undermine Mr. Wilson's credibility
Point 2
the White House press secretary, has refused in recent days to discuss any specifics of the case.
Point 3
The revelation of Mr. Rove's conversation with Mr. Novak raises a question the White House has never addressed: whether Mr. Rove ever described that conversation, or his conversation with Mr. Cooper, with the president.
Point 4
In June 2004, at Sea Island, Ga., soon after Vice President Dick Cheney met with investigators in the case, Mr. Bush was asked at a news conference whether "you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found" to have leaked the agent's name.
"Yes," Mr. Bush said. "And that's up to the U.S. attorney to find the facts."
Point 5
White House officials may argue that Mr. Rove's conversation with Mr. Novak did not amount to leaking the name of the agent. But to critics of Mr. Bush - including the Democrats who have called for Mr. Rove's resignation - that is splitting hairs, and Mr. Rove in effect confirmed her identity, even if he did not name her.
Point 6
it seems certain to add substantially to the political maelstrom that has engulfed the White House this week after the disclosure that Mr. Rove had discussed the matter with Mr. Cooper of Time magazine.
Point 7
Democrats have been pressing the president either to live up to his pledges to rid his administration of anyone found to have leaked the name of a covert operative, or to explain why he does not believe Mr. Rove's actions subject him to dismissal.
Point 8
The new revelation also leaves Mr. McClellan, the White House spokesman, in an increasingly awkward situation. Two years ago repeatedly assured reporters that neither Mr. Rove nor several other administration officials were responsible for the leak.
Point 9
The case has also threatened to become a distraction to the White House and Republicans as Mr. Bush struggles to keep his second-term agenda on track and as he prepares for one of the most pivotal battles of his presidency, over the nomination of a Supreme Court justice.
Point 10
Most recently, Mr. Rove has been at the center of the White House's deliberations over the choice of a nominee to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor at the Supreme Court.
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