the only reason the questions were asked by the investigators in the first place, is because reporters who claim to be totally ignorant are saying "hey, we heard everything from Rove and Libby". while it may not be OK to lie to the investigators, if the only reason they were steered your way to begin with is because you were setup by the reporters, and they can be shown to have lied, that means alot in my book.
the case could well have gone the other way - suppose after hearing from Cooper/Miller/Russert that they had no prior knowledge of who Wilson's wife was, that the FBI investigated that claim and found it to be false - would the 3 reporters have been charged with perjury? given that there is no underlying crime here, those lies would have been just as pertinent as Libby's. Fitzgerald didn't investigate that, and would never have charged them.
The investigators asked all the parties. If the stories all match, then they conclude nobody lied. No big deal there.
while it may not be OK to lie to the investigators, if the only reason they were steered your way to begin with is because you were setup by the reporters, and they can be shown to have lied, that means alot in my book.
Well, Libby doesn't deny speaking to reporters, in fact he told the investigators that he did speak to reporters. But Libby's testimony is flawed because he never admitted to investigators that he learned about Plame by asking the CIA - instead, paints the indictment, Libby's testimony is an attempt to finger reporters as the leakers. That fingering lie is a lie whether or not the reporters knew about Plame before they spoke to Libby. I think that's the hangup most people have - they figure if the reporters knew first, then it's impossible for Libby to lie to investigators.
suppose after hearing from Cooper/Miller/Russert that they had no prior knowledge of who Wilson's wife was, that the FBI investigated that claim and found it to be false - would the 3 reporters have been charged with perjury?
If they in fact knew about Plame from Libby, and told investigators that Libby never told them, and the GJ figured that out (Libby testifies he told the reporters, has corroborating evidence, etc.), they yes, they'd be on the hook for lying to investigators.
Fitzgerald didn't investigate that, and would never have charged them.
Actually, he DID investigate that. He asked all of them about their interpersonal discussions, and based on that plus evidence of Libby contact with CIA, concluded that somebody was fibbing.
As for whether or not he would have charged the reporters, he was rather aggressive with threats of criminal contempt, and he has a pending case against Miller in the Holy Land Foundation matter.